


Iced Tea

by missusk



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Drinking, Humor, M/M, Oblivious, and, consent is respected and important, dense, morning fluff, poor raihan, some kissin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24902365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missusk/pseuds/missusk
Summary: Leon doesn’t really drink (not much time for it & he’d rather think about Pokémon), so he doesn’t bother paying attention to what things are called. He does like tea, though, and a Long Island iced tea sounds tasty. It’s like some kind of black tea? Green tea? Whatever. Even though everything slowly becomes a little blurry as the night goes on, Raihan’s eyes stay oddly sharp.--Raihan hosts this party every year, every year he vows to tell Leon how he feels, and every year he chickens out. Everything was going according to plan but… he didn’t really anticipate Leon getting absolutely wasted.--3-part story, 2 POVs, 1 strange night. Appropriately rated T+, there's themes of drinking/alcohol, or as I called it as a child, ah-chol.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 61
Kudos: 266





	1. Tea

**LEON'S POV**

“He’s drunk.”

“Are you sure?”

“Do you, like, have eyes? Look at him.”

Leon was splayed on the couch with a sleepy smile on his lips and a leg flung over the back of the furniture. His shirt was somewhere, not on him, though, and wearing shoes made him hot, so he kicked those off a while ago too. His hair draped over the armrest and he pushed his ponytail back and forth like a pendulum.

“This is crazy, I’ve never seen him drink a drop of alcohol in his life.”

“I think he’s had a couple drops at this point.”

Sonia nodded in agreement as she and Nessa stared at the shirtless Champion slung on the couch.

“Should we… help him?” Sonia asked half-heartedly as she sipped at her drink.

Nessa shrugged.

“He’s safe here, I’m not that worried about it. Wanna go watch Milo and Bea arm wrestle?”

Sonia gave a curt nod, then she and Nessa wandered back to the kitchen.

This was not how the entire night had gone. In fact, it was only just recently that Leon kicked off his shoes, pulled up his hair, peeled off his shirt, and slumped onto this couch. He was doing fine, enjoying conversation and the company of his friends at the end of another successful Gym Challenge season, until just recently when the room started to spin.

The older Leaders and a handful of friends often frequented Raihan’s Hammerlocke apartment at the end of each Gym Challenge season. Whether it went well or not, they would raise a glass in celebration to the end of the season, and down whatever was in said glass. It was a night of celebration and relaxation and questionable decisions. Oftentimes it was Leon that casually paced the room, held people’s hair back after they had one too many celebratory drinks, and made sure everyone made it home safely before slumping onto Raihan’s couch for the night. Although it wasn’t a secret that he enjoyed parties with his friends, he didn’t want to risk his squeaky-clean and family-friendly reputation from an unfortunate picture, nor did he ever care much about alcohol anyway. So, when everyone raised their glass for the toast, his cup was normally filled with tea or orange juice or something. He’d rather respond to teases about him being a toddler with a sippy cup than respond to texts about what offensive thing he did or said the next morning.

Just as Leon was often the designated Corviknight cab-caller, Gordie often took the role of bartender. After their toast, Gordie was asking for orders, and that was when Leon stepped up for his turn.

“What’ll you have, Mr. Undefeated Champion?” Gordie asked with a grin as he clinked around the island counter. “And congrats on continuing your streak again.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Leon joked. “Raihan was probably the closest he’s ever been this time, but they don’t give the Champion title away to people who are _almost_ good enough to beat me.”

Raihan stuck his tongue out as he walked by, and although Leon’s plan was to shoot off another witty remark, his quip caught in his throat at the sight.

“Said like a true Champion,” Gordie said with a chuckle. “Right, so whaddya want? Beer? We’ve got some wine, or I could mix something up for you?”

Leon opened his mouth to respond, only for his voice to catch again when Raihan casually slung his arm around his shoulders. He glanced up to see Raihan’s toothy grin, and Leon smiled too.

“It’ll probably take all night to describe everything,” Raihan said as he rolled his eyes. “I’d just pick something for him, if I were you.”

And with that, Raihan was gone as quickly as he came, though the shadow of his touch still hung around Leon’s shoulders. Gordie raised an eyebrow, and Leon shrugged.

“Raihan thinks it’s funny that I can’t identify every brand of alcohol like he can,” Leon explained. “Personally, I’ve got better things to do with my time, like train my Pokémon, or keep my winning streak.”

Leon glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Raihan offering him a choice hand gesture. He bit his lip to hold back his grin.

“Rivals in everything, huh?” Gordie said as he playfully shook his head. “I swear, you two are something else.”

Leon vaguely heard Gordie say something else, but his focus was still latched to Raihan’s hands. Condensation was dripping down the side of Raihan’s glass, through his fingers, and he lifted them to his lips to gently nip off the wet. When he lifted the glass to take a drink, Leon’s eyes tracked the movement of his throat, and unintentionally swallowed too.

“Leon?”

Leon nearly toppled out of the barstool with how fast he whipped around.

“Huh?”

“I asked what you wanted to drink?” Gordie repeated as he raised an eyebrow. Leon stretched, as if to unconsciously distract Gordie’s suspicious gaze.

“Oh, uh, tea I guess.”

When Raihan laughed at something he and Nessa were talking about, Leon forced himself to watch Gordie glance around the counter, under the counter, behind the counter. Though, the sound seemed to knock around his head until Gordie spoke again.

“I don’t see any regular tea, but I can make you a Long Island iced tea?” he said with an impish grin.

Leon pursed his lips. He wasn’t quite sure why Gordie chuckled at the end of his sentence. Was that a joke? Should he laugh? Leon settled on an emotionally vague and ambiguous:

“Sure.”

Gordie nodded and Leon casually spun on the barstool again. He rested his elbows on the island counter behind him and gazed over the room.

It was a cozy space – not huge, as Leon expected when Raihan first invited him over eons ago. That was something that had always impressed Leon – even though Raihan seemed like he’d covet every marble countertop and floor-to-ceiling window, the Hammerlocke apartment was rather modest. It wasn’t some ramshackle thing, don’t get him wrong, since Raihan still _was_ the strongest Leader in the League, but it wasn’t huge, gilded, or garish like many would expect. Even though Raihan put on that tough front, that animalistic battle style, he was secretly an easy-going and humble guy. He was actually kind of shy, not that anyone would guess that with how often he posted on social media. He worked hard to put himself out there for his fans even though he was naturally an introvert, and that was something that always impressed Leon too.

His eyes yet again landed on Raihan sitting on the armrest of his corner couch, though perching was probably a more accurate term. Even though he was long and lanky, that man had a strange habit of sitting on the armrest of chairs, the backs of couches, or really just trying to fit himself into places that someone over six foot six shouldn’t properly fit. He was playing some card game with Sonia, Nessa, and Milo, and when he smiled, something pulled in Leon’s stomach. He involuntarily let out a hum, Raihan glanced up, and Leon quickly spun back around on his barstool.

“Perfect timing,” Gordie said. “Here ya go, one Long Island.”

“Thanks, Gordie,” Leon said with a nod. He took a sip, then smacked his lips. “This is good.”

He tilted the cup up, and practically inhaled the rest of the drink. When he set the empty glass back on the counter, Gordie’s eyes were as wide as the ring of water at the base of the glass. He shook out of his stupor and grinned again.

“Planning on having a champion time tonight, huh Leon?” he asked. “Want another?”

“Yeah that was good,” Leon said. “Haven’t had a tea that tasted like that before.”

“You’re funny,” Gordie said with another chuckle. “Coming right up.”

Did he make a joke? Leon… didn’t quite understand Gordie’s sense of humor. He gave another emotionally ambiguous nod.

Gordie started clinking around again, and Leon turned. Although he watched Sonia and Milo chat about something for a few seconds, his eyes gravitated back to the couch. Raihan must have lost the round they were playing, because he was now sitting behind Nessa and pulling her hair off her neck. A lot of people thought they were secretly dating, but those two were as sibling-like as you could get. Bickered more than any sibling pair he had ever met, either. When he asked about it once, Raihan quickly affirmed that he wasn’t interested in Nessa, and he added pointedly that he was versatile in his tastes anyway, but Leon wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

So instead, he watched how Raihan’s hands combed through her hair, watched how his fingers wove between the strands. Leon pushed his own hair off his neck when it started to stick and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach when he watched them. Or maybe it was just indigestion.

If Raihan did want to date Nessa though, he wouldn’t blame him, because Nessa was quite the catch. She was strong, independent, hardworking, and not to mention beautiful, of course. Kind of a workaholic, though, and she had that temper. A little self-centered, too, and she was a bit of a sore loser. When Raihan lost, he was graceful and positive, and often stated that he never truly lost at anything, because either he won, or he learned something. That kind of attitude was a huge part of why Leon had so much fun battling with him, and just being around him in general. He had a good attitude, he was fun, he was charming, he had a great smile, and, he had those icy blue eyes that cut right into you and made your heart kick. Whenever he hugged you or squeezed your hand or put your hair up for you, he could make your stomach do little backflips and make you smile the whole time, then he’d cook you your favorite food, but only after you tried whatever new recipe he wanted to test, though he’d tease you about how you had no taste buds so that’s what made you the perfect taste-tester, because you always said whatever he made was really good, and then he’d smile at you again. But anyway, Nessa was quite the catch.

“Alright, second one’s up.”

Leon turned, took a sip, then downed the rest.

“Leon!” Gordie said incredulously. “You’re a big guy, but you probably shouldn’t drink those so fast.”

“Sorry,” Leon said with a shrug. His mum often got on his case with how fast he ate, maybe Gordie had a problem with that too.

“Have you eaten anything today?” Gordie asked as he wiped up the ring of condensation his glass left. Leon shook his head.

“Not since lunch. Too busy, forgot about it. I was going to pick something up but Raihan wanted help setting up.”

“Okay well try to snack on something before those drinks go straight to your head.”

Leon nodded again. Was that another joke? Was he supposed to ask if Gordie had eaten anything that day? He didn’t really care what Gordie had eaten that day, in all honesty. When Gordie didn’t press the issue, Leon tried to stand, he stumbled slightly, and shook his head into focus.

…Odd.

He pushed the thought away and trotted over to the living room, though he had to catch himself on the wall when he stumbled again. Were his shoes untied? Leon glanced down to see that his shoes were very much tied, though the laces seemed fuzzy, so he had to lean close and squint. He kicked them off and pushed them against the wall just in case, though. He probably shouldn’t have been wearing shoes indoors anyway, but Raihan was the one that picked these ones out for him. His whole outfit was Raihan-compiled, since Leon didn’t care much about fashion, and normally just wore his Champion’s uniform out in public anyway, but Raihan had said that if he wore his ‘stupid cape’ to the party he’d have to sleep outside and use it as a blanket. That wouldn’t be the first time Leon had done that, though.

Milo and Sonia were still chatting, Raihan was still sitting behind Nessa and watching their game over her head, and Leon took a seat next to her. He didn’t think about how he was sitting down, as that wasn’t something he often consciously thought about, though Leon was very conscious of it when he flopped down more haphazardly than he anticipated. He practically launched Nessa off the cushion. Raihan laughed, and the sound knocked around his head again.

“Alright alright, if you want to sit here you can just tell me,” Nessa huffed as she readjusted herself at the other end of the couch. “Don’t have to ricochet me off the furniture.”

“Whoops, s’ry Nessa,” Leon said. He paused, swallowed, then repeated. “I mean sorry.”

Was his mouth dry? Was he dehydrated? He had those two teas, though, so he shouldn’t have been catching on his words like that. The thought left as quickly as it came, because Raihan slid behind Leon on the couch and set his legs on either side of his shoulders. That was something else about Raihan – he was really affectionate. Leon’s own family was quite physically affectionate, so it didn’t bother Leon when Raihan would hug him, or when he would press his hands against him when it was cold out, or when he would set his head on his shoulder, or when he would pull his hair off his neck, just like he was doing now.

“What’re you playing?” Leon asked as Raihan fiddled with his hair.

“Some rubbish that Milo made up,” Sonia grumbled as she slapped her cards on the table.

“I didn’t make it up!” Milo retorted with a good-natured grin. “You all just aren’t following the rules right.”

“Yeah ‘cuz you keep changing them,” Sonia huffed again as she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.

“You’re really warm, Leon,” Raihan said as he patted his cheeks. “Is it hot in here?”

Sonia, Milo, and Nessa shook their heads, stating that they were all quite comfortable. Leon shrugged again.

“Everyone in my family runs hot,” Leon said.

“You don’t have to tell him that,” Nessa muttered through a grin. Raihan shoved her.

They started up another game, though Raihan sat perched behind Leon’s head as he combed through his hair. Leon unintentionally let out a hum at the feeling, and his eyes stayed closed an extra second every time he blinked. He _was_ feeling a little warm, especially wherever Raihan touched. Leon often wondered if it comforted Raihan, when he touched him. He could understand that, like, wanting to be close to your friends. Leon didn’t ask if Raihan got that weird stomach-tightness feeling too, because he had made that mistake once before. No one else had mentioned getting kind of sweaty or having that weird stomach tightness, so Leon wondered if he was getting sick. He had asked Sonia once and she said he was mad, then he asked Nessa and she called him an oblivious twit. So, neither of them were much help.

The world was fading in and out as darkness swirled behind his eyelids. Leon let out a contended sigh when Raihan pulled his bangs from his face, then lightly scratched the top of his head. He heard a faint chuckle, the snap of a phone camera, though he jolted into focus when Sonia tutted.

“Look at him,” Sonia swooned. “He’s like my little Yamper.”

Leon laughed a little more loudly than he anticipated. He wasn’t a Yamper.

“Aw, nice, he thinks I’m funny!” Sonia enthused as she pumped her fists. “Finally, a character trait that’s more than ‘she cooks good.’”

“I’m no Yamper,” Leon mumbled. “I’m a man.”

Leon sat up straight, puffed out his chest, and flexed his arms. That would show them. Yampers didn’t have muscles like _these._

Nessa whistled, Sonia rolled her eyes, and Milo chuckled. Leon grinned too, only to blink a few times when Raihan slid his hand over his arm and squeezed.

“Your biceps are probably as thick as a Yamper,” Raihan said, though it was almost as if it were a purr that slid from his lips.

Leon should have been grateful when Raihan tugged his sleeve up for him, as it would have better showcased his bicep to prove that he was no Yamper, but really it just made Leon’s mouth a little dry. Heat twanged within him, and he bolted up.

He must be dehydrated.

“Imma get a drink,” Leon mumbled. Again, he had to catch himself against the wall when the room spun when he stood.

“You alright?” Milo asked.

“Just stood to quickly,” he said as he held his head in his hand. He shook the thought out, though that just made the room spin faster. He bumbled back to the counter where Gordie and Bea were chatting, and he slumped into the barstool.

“Heya champ,” Gordie said. “Want something else?”

“’nother tea.”

“You sure?” Gordie asked as his eyebrows pulled together. “Your face is pretty pink.”

“Yup.”

“…Alright, but don’t down this one.”

Leon didn’t want his head to spin if he nodded, so he gave a double thumbs up.

“Don’t make it strong, Gordie,” Bea muttered as she watched the Champion slouching and staring in the barstool. Gordie nodded. He clinked around and handed Leon another glass, though this one was significantly shorter than the two previous.

“Thanks homeboy,” Leon said.

“…homeboy?” Gordie repeated.

Instead of a response, Leon stood, braced himself on the counter, then sauntered back to the living room. He sat down slowly, attempting to not slosh his tea, though a bit tickled over the sides when he slumped against Raihan again.

“Ooh, whatcha got?” Sonia asked as she glanced up.

“Iced tea.”

“Mind if I have a taste?” Raihan asked, though he was already reaching for the glass. “Gordie must have found that tea Opal got me when we last battled. For an old bat, she’s awfully good at finding strange stuff.”

Raihan took a deep taste, only to cough half of it out.

“Holy shit, this isn’t tea?!” he spluttered as he wiped his mouth. “Leon what are you drinking?”

“Iced tea.”

Raihan’s head whipped to the kitchen, where Gordie and Bea were watching the commotion.

“Gordie, what’d you make him?”

“A Long Island.”

“Iced tea.” Leon finished.

A collective groan filled the room.

“How many has he had?”

“…Two and a half,” Gordie replied with a guilty grin.

Another groan filled the room.

“So,” Sonia continued. “You’re telling me he’s drank two and a half of these since he first sat down at the counter with you?”

“Isn’t the alcohol content in those really high? And you make stuff too strong anyway…” Milo said. Gordie nodded again, and Sonia slapped her forehead.

“Well, he’s going to die.”

“What’re you guys talking about,” Leon retorted. “I feel great! Real friggin’ hot in here, though,”

Leon quickly peeled his shirt off, flung it to the floor, and slumped against the couch again.

“Ah,” he sighed. “Much better.”

“Oh my god,” Sonia said as she slapped her forehead again.

“No, no, he’s fine,” Nessa said as she easily drank in this new view of the Champion. “He is _fine._ ”

Leon was still warm, and he huffed out a breath. The rubbish outfit that Raihan picked out for him was really tight, and awfully constricting compared to the clothes he normally wore. The shirt was down, so Leon reached down to his belt buckle. Sonia immediately bolted up, Nessa inhaled her drink and it shot out her nose, Milo muttered an ‘oh my,’ and Raihan grabbed his hands.

“Nope, nope,” Raihan said. “You keep those on.”

He was getting _so_ hot though, especially now that Raihan was sitting behind him again and holding Leon’s hands against his thighs. Hoo. Wow. Yeah he was getting really hot. He tried to pull the hair off his neck again when it started to stick, but his clammy fingers kept getting caught.

“Here, let me pull your hair up,” Raihan said as he swatted at Leon’s hands. “You’d probably miss half of it anyway.”

“You want a hair tie?” Sonia asked as Raihan pulled Leon’s hair up for him. He shook his head.

“No, I’ve got one for him,” he said as he pulled the hair tie from his wrist, then wrapped it around his hair. That was something else about Raihan – he always had a hair tie. He had never seen him use it, though.

“Bro,” Nessa coughed as she tried to empty her lungs from the drink she inhaled. “You’re so whipped.”

Whipped?! Who was hurting Raihan?! Him and Charizard would teach them a lesson real quick. Leon quickly stood again, only to flop back onto the couch. Arceus, it was a billion degrees in there. He would probably be so much cooler if he wasn’t wearing these rubbish skin-tight jeans that Raihan insisted ‘completed the look’ and ‘accented one of his greatest features.’ Whatever that meant.

“I’m gonna have a heat stroke,” Leon whined. “Let me take my pants off, Rai,”

“I think I’m going to have one too,” Raihan muttered. “Okay, let’s get some air to cool you down a bit. You should also probably eat something.”

Raihan pushed Leon up and off the couch, then led him to the kitchen. They both grabbed some snacks, he heated up some instant ramen, and headed out onto the balcony. Leon breathed out a sigh of relief as the cool breeze hit his skin, and he rested his elbows on the balcony railing.

The lights of Hammerlocke were glinting around them, and it was like each lamppost and torch spread throughout the city were connected by those fuzzy rays of light. He had never seen the city look like this before. Leon smiled and set his chin on his fist. Raihan would appreciate such a beautiful city, he liked beautiful things. He wanted to show him this beautiful city, and maybe Raihan would smile. He turned.

“R-“

Leon’s sentence caught again.

Raihan was standing closer than he expected and holding his noodle cup up to his lips. The steam billowed around him, and it was like the lights of the city were all simultaneously glowing on that balcony, on him.

Oh.

His hooded eyes, the curve of his lip, the glint of a sharp canine every once in a while, it was like they were highlighted by the city itself.

Every year for the past few years, Leon’s eyes were drawn more often to those features of his, though he never thought too hard about why. It was like he was resisting the pull of a magnet whenever Raihan was around.

And now that those warm drinks coursed through his veins, that quiet and terrifying question that Leon always ignored finally bubbled to the surface.

Was he-

Wait.

Oh.

Suddenly Leon’s singular focus was on how Raihan was now raising a long line of noodles into his mouth. His gaze followed his lips as he took a bite, followed how his tongue darted out to catch the droplets of soup, followed the movement of his throat as he swallowed, followed how he bit his lip again and showcased a sharp canine.

Oh.

And suddenly Leon was feeling a little too hot again.

“What?” Raihan asked.

“Huh?” Leon grunted, still transfixed when he slurped up another few noodles.

“You want some?” he asked as he held the cup out.

Leon could only stare as the city lights highlighted his face.

“No?” Raihan said. “Okay well honestly I’m freezing, so I might go back insi-“

Leon quickly stepped over and curled his arms around Raihan. He couldn’t go back in yet, they finally had some time just for the two of them. If he held onto him, then he wouldn’t be cold and he wouldn’t go back inside and play with Nessa’s hair or play with anyone else’s hair that wasn’t his. Raihan adjusted himself in Leon’s arms. He couldn’t leave yet, Leon had to think of something, quick, to get him to stay.

“Beautiful night out, yeah?” Leon said. “I can help you warm up though.”

Raihan’s posture was a little stiff.

“A-and you’ve been doing real ace hosting this party and also our Champion Cup match,” Leon continued as he racked his brain for conversation topics. It was a little challenging to think though, as his brain seemed to lag a few seconds, and a lot of his attention was focused on how Raihan felt pressed against him like that. Raihan started to squirm away again, and Leon held on tighter.

“Leon you’re squeezing me too tight,” Raihan mumbled. Leon immediately let go and jumped back.

“Oh, sorry Rai,”

How was he so calm and cool? Leon felt like a bumbling doofus whenever Raihan was around.

“I didn’t say you had to let go,” Raihan said. “You’re like a space heater and it’s freezing out here. Just try not to break me in half.”

Leon grinned again and curled his arms around Raihan’s waist, and he tried to be gentle. He breathed out a hum despite himself. That was something else about Raihan – he always smelled good. Raihan set his noodle cup on top of Leon’s head as he continued eating from it.

“I’m glad we’re best friends, Rai,” Leon said. His sentence was a little garbled and a little muffled against Raihan’s sweater.

“Me too,” Raihan chuckled. Leon held him a little tighter. “You mean a lot to me as um, as a friend.”

And Leon’s grip loosened. Why did the end of that sentence make his stomach drop? He stepped back and stared into Raihan’s eyes, as if by looking hard enough, he could understand why those words made it feel like cold water was dribbling down under his skin.

“No way, is that Champion Leon?”

“Oh my gosh, and Gym Leader Raihan!”

Leon gripped the balcony railing and leaned over to see two girls waving up at them. Raihan had to hook his finger around Leon’s belt loop so he didn’t topple over the side. Were those fans?! Wicked!

“Hi girls!” Leon called. “It is, hello! It’s me Leon!”

“He’s not wearing a shirt,” one of them squealed in a hushed tone to the other. “Can we take a picture Mr. Leon?”

“Absolutely!” Leon replied. “You gotta do my Charizard pose though! Go on, do it!”

They giggled and glanced at one another, then spun around and held their three fingers in the air. He loved it when people did that. That was one of his favorite parts of being Champion.

“That was brilliant!” Leon called as he clapped.

“Is he drunk…?” one of them muttered again. The flash of her camera made his head hurt, and he squeezed his eyes closed.

“Are you girls Trainers?” he asked as he curled his arms around Raihan’s waist again. “Me an’ Rai are Trainers, the two strongest Trainers in Galar,”

“We’re not Trainers, but we love watching you both battle! Thanks for the picture!”

“Yeah anytime!”

“Can we come up?” one of the girls asked boldly.

Leon was about to give an enthusiastic ‘hell yeah!’ only for it to slur when Raihan put his hand over his mouth.

“Nope, sorry girls,” Raihan said. “Private party. If you can become Trainers then Gym Leaders, I’ll send you both an invitation though,”

“Are you sure?” one of them asked. “We’d be happy to show you both a good time if you’d like.”

Raihan raised his eyebrows and smirked.

“A tempting offer from two beautiful women?” Raihan said. “It’s hard to say no,”

That cold water dripped down through Leon’s skin again. He knew Raihan liked messing around with people at parties, but something in Leon didn’t want him to do it tonight at this party. He pulled Raihan’s hand from his mouth.

“You can only come up if you beat me in a Pokémon battle,” Leon called down to them.

“Damn, yeah right,” one of them muttered. “Never mind then, bye Mr. Leon, Mr. Raihan!”

Leon gave a decisive nod, then nestled against Raihan. Close call. Raihan’s posture was stiff again, and that dirty water seeped into him.

“Are you mad?” he asked as he stepped back. Maybe he wanted those girls to come up. They were really pretty, and Raihan liked pretty people.

“No,” Raihan said as he slurped up some more noodles.

“Are you sad?”

“No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Calm and cool and also super moody. Leon didn’t mind much when he pouted, though, since it was kind of, you know… well, it made his skin tingly.

“I know that look on your face,” Leon huffed. “Something’s wrong.”

Raihan had held his hands earlier, maybe that would make him feel better. Leon quickly reached over, threw the noodle cup over the balcony, then held Raihan’s hands in his.

“My noodles,” Raihan said as he stuck out his lower lip. “That’s littering, you know.”

“You can tell me anything,” Leon said.

Raihan wasn’t meeting his eye. Was he mad at him? Did he do something wrong? Probably, he always barreled around without thinking, and those two and half teas made it hard to think clearly.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Raihan said, though he still wouldn’t look at him.

Maybe he needed a pep talk. He could do that, he had given the entire country pep talks, he could give one to his best friend, especially if it would make him smile. Raihan was one of the best people he had ever known, and had a thousand incredible qualities.

“You’re the most challenging person I’ve ever known,” Leon said.

Raihan’s eyebrows pulled together. That didn’t work.

“I actually have to think when I battle with you, I mean,” Leon said as he held his hands to his chest. “I mean you’re so much more clever than I am, I honestly don’t always know how you don’t beat me every year. You’re really talented, Rai, and I’m proud of how hard you work, and I learn so much from you.”

Raihan still wasn’t smiling, though he did finally look at him.

“I mean it,” Leon continued desperately. “You teach me how to be a better Trainer and a better person and a better friend. You’re humble and you’re fun and you always have a hair tie.”

“A hair tie?” Raihan replied as he raised an eyebrow. Still no smile.

“It’s that you always have one, I mean!” Leon said. His fumbling words and fumbling brain and fumbling heart was still scrabbling for the right words to say to get Raihan to understand what he was trying to say. Or even to get himself to understand what he was trying to say.

“You care about the little things, Rai, you focus on detail and you make people feel special and cared about because you remember those little things,”

Raihan’s eyes were softening, and Leon pressed their hands against his heart.

“And you make me really sweaty.”

“…What?” Raihan said. Oh, shoot, not the right thing, back up Leon, back up.

“O-okay, I uh, I mean,” Leon stuttered. Why wasn’t his brain working? Why could he not focus on his words? “I mean you make my stomach do backflips and you’ve got the best smile I’ve ever seen.”

That was a terrible pep talk and he kind of sounded like a toddler, but the corners of Raihan’s mouth twitched up.

He was close. One more step and he’d get a smile. His memory flashed back to how Raihan smiled when Nessa and Sonia came in, and how he had kissed the top of Nessa’s head, then kissed the two liquor bottles she brought.

Leon quickly leaned up, cupped Raihan’s face, and pressed his lips against his cheek.

Raihan froze, and Leon stepped back just as quickly as he stepped forward.

Leon’s brow furrowed as he frantically racked his brain for literally anything to say. It seemed that every word he had ever learned had been hurled off the balcony and was lying next to the discarded noodle cup as Raihan stared down at him in shock.

“Uh, thanks,” Raihan mumbled after a moment. He pulled his sweater collar higher.

“You’re welcome.”

“You’re super drunk.”

“No’m not.”

Raihan’s eyebrows pulled together, and he breathed out a laugh.

There!

There it was!

Leon beamed up at Raihan, whose eyes had widened as he tore his gaze away. Ah, gone so soon. That one little smile seemed to bubble all around Leon’s body, though, and he couldn’t stop his own grin.

“Well I’m sufficiently freezing,” Raihan coughed out. “C’mon back inside, I’ll get you some shorts so you’re not hot.”

“Wicked, thanks mate,” Leon said as he reached towards his buckle again. Raihan was so thoughtful.

“ _Wait_ until we get to my room,” Raihan said as he quickly grabbed Leon’s hand.

Leon interlocked their fingers as Raihan pulled him back into the apartment. Raihan’s hand wouldn’t be cold if he warmed it up for him. He could be thoughtful too.

When they stepped into the apartment, Leon’s temperature immediately amped up another thousand degrees. They were close enough, so he started undoing his belt as they walked past the living room. He did hear a couple murmurs, and the click of a camera, though the sounds swirled together.

“Have fun you two,” Nessa hummed, and Raihan’s favored choice hand gesture made another appearance.

Raihan pulled Leon into his room, closed the door, gently sat Leon on his bed, pointed a decisive finger and said ‘ _stay,’_ and headed into his closet. Leon quickly undid his belt, undid the button, undid the zipper, kicked his pants off, then laid against the bed with a _fumph_.

Ahh. Much better.

Leon glanced down. Okay, he was wearing underwear. He couldn’t remember. He checked again. Okay yeah they were still there.

He picked a fuzz off his stomach, though his eyes stayed there. He was looking good lately. His new training regimen was absolutely brutal, but it was working well for his Pokémon, and it was doing wonders for his abs. Leon flexed them, tapped against them, and grinned. Aw yeah, rock hard, nice. Leon lifted his leg, flexed that too, and tucked his heel onto the bed. Wonders for his legs, too, check out those quads. Like pillars of chiseled marble.

He glanced up to see Raihan standing in the doorway of his closet and staring wide-eyed at something. Leon smiled at the sight of him.

“Hey.”

“Uh,” Raihan coughed. “Hi. I have pants for you.”

“What’re you looking at?” Leon asked as he glanced behind him. The motion would nicely showcase his obliques, though really it just made him a little woozy.

“Hey, Leon!” came a call from outside the door. “Come watch this!”

“Okay,” Leon said as he bolted up. He pulled open the door only to stumble when Sonia screamed. Nessa was already coughing as she inhaled her drink again.

“What the hell, Leon?! Where are your pants?!”

“Rai’s getting them. What’d you want me to watch?” he asked conversationally as he trotted over to them. Nessa lifted her phone, and Leon gave the most champion grin he could muster as the camera clicked.

“This is way too much Champion for me,” Sonia huffed as she waved the heat off her face.

His heart swelled at the sight of her. Sonia was such a good friend. He’d probably be lost or dead if he didn’t have her by his side in his Gym Challenge. He needed to tell her _immediately._

“Sonia,” Leon said. “You’re the best.”

He trotted over to her, flopped onto the couch, and laid his head in her lap.

“Is this actually happening?” she asked as she looked around the room.

He reached up and squished her cheeks.

“And you always make the best curry.”

Sonia rolled her eyes and pat his head.

“Thanks Leon.”

Suddenly his vision went black.

“Sonia?!”

Her face reappeared, and he sighed.

“Oh, there you are.”

“Put these on,” she ordered as she held up a pair of gym shorts.

“Yes,” Leon said as he stood and pulled the pants on. These were _much_ more comfortable, and closer to what he normally wore.

Sonia had gone somewhere, so Leon took her spot on the couch, then took up all of the couch as the room started to spin again. The voices around him seemed to be swimming into his ears, just to float off again once he tried to process what was being said. He pulled his ponytail up, flung it over the armrest, and heaved out a sigh. He wasn’t quite sure how long he was laying there, though he did chat with whomever came to sit by him. He was most excited when Raihan came by, and he lifted himself up, pat the couch cushion, waited for Raihan to sit down, then he laid his head on his lap.

Leon let his eyes close again as Raihan combed through his bangs, then scratched lightly on the top of his head. He was so good at that. He was so good at everything. Leon breathed out a contended hum at the touch. Raihan’s voice against him was strangely soothing, like a low and rumbly waterfall, whenever he spoke to the people around them. After a while, Leon tried not to speak, just so he could listen to Raihan’s voice, Raihan’s laugh. He loved listening to that laugh, loved seeing that smile.

Yep, that was it.

He was in love with Raihan.

He had always kind of known it, though.

Leon was dozing lightly, so he didn’t notice when Raihan gently sat him up and stepped away. Someone was laughing loudly, so he bolted awake, and lay staring at the ceiling for a bit.

So, here Leon was, slung on the couch with a sleepy smile with his arms over his head, pushing his ponytail back and forth. Leon heaved out a contended sigh, hoisted himself up, wobbled, then flopped back on the couch. What was he going to do? He could get more of that tea. The tea that made him warm. He stood again, braced himself on the wall, and followed it along to the kitchen.

Wait, this was not the kitchen. Where was he? What was he going to do? Tea. Yes.

“Hey bud,” he heard from beside him.

The sentence was punctuated with a chuckle, and Leon whipped his head around to see Raihan raising an eyebrow at him. He turned a little too quickly, and Raihan grabbed his arms to keep him from falling.

“How’re ya feeling?” he asked conversationally as he leaned against the wall.

Leon squinted his eyes. Who was that? That voice was familiar, it made him smile.

“Rai.”

“Yep, that’s me.”

“Good.”

“That’s good,” Raihan grinned. “You still drunk?”

“Nope.”

“I can tell.”

Leon nodded, though it made the room spin.

“Where am I?”

“You’re in my room.”

“Why?”

“Great question.”

Leon squinted his eyes again.

“Where am I?”

Raihan chuckled, shook his head, and when he motioned to leave, Leon quickly gripped his shoulders. He needed to tell him. He needed to show him.

“Rai.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re my best mate.”

Raihan chuckled and patted Leon on the cheek. It was like his hand print was burned into his skin.

“You’re my best mate too, Leon.”

“I’m glad I have you.”

“I’m glad I have you too.”

Leon quickly stepped forward, curled his arms around Raihan’s waist, and squeezed him against his chest. Raihan’s arms froze, then he gently wove his around Leon’s shoulders.

“You’re my best mate and I love you and you’re my greatest rival and my best mate and I’m glad I have you.”

“I love you too, buddy.” Raihan sighed as he pat his back. “You’re so drunk,”

Leon squinted and took a wobbly step backwards. People kept using that word, but he wasn’t drunk. He had never been drunk, the only thing he had were those teas that Gordie made him. Was Raihan joking with him too? Unlike Gordie, he normally understood Raihan’s sense of humor.

“No’m not.” Leon assured.

Raihan’s response was a raised eyebrow.

“You’re just really blurry,” Leon continued as he squinted harder.

Hm, still blurry.

Leon slammed his hand beside Raihan’s head and leaned closer.

“That’s better,” Leon mumbled.

Those icy-blue eyes widened, and suddenly Leon was feeling a little warm again. He stumbled closer, rested his forearm on the other side of Raihan’s head, and squinted.

Leon’s gaze flicked to his lips, to his chin, to his throat, and he watched Raihan swallow. It was like his eyes were latched to the long line of his neck, to the movement of his throat, or the sharp crease of his collarbone. It would probably be really satisfying to feel his collarbone between his lips. Leon unintentionally breathed out and glanced up again. Hm… he had a sharp jawline, too, it would be satisfying for that to be between his lips as well. Leon wanted to feel the corner of his jaw against his tongue.

Leon hummed, still enraptured by the angles on Raihan’s face. He lifted a finger, and slowly dragged it over his cheekbone, pressed it against that corner of his jaw, then pressed his thumb against the contrasting softness of his bottom lip. He wanted to feel that between his teeth. Leon hummed again. He wanted everything about Raihan to be between his teeth.

“L-Leon,” Raihan breathed out. He liked how that sounded. “What’re you doing?”

“I want to put my mouth here,” he said.

Raihan’s eyes widened, and just as they always did, those icy-blue eyes made his heart kick. He slowly dragged his finger back to Raihan’s cheekbone.

“And here.”

He pushed against the corner of his jaw.

“And here.”

He rubbed against the straining line on Raihan’s neck.

“And here.”

He dragged all of his fingers down Raihan’s throat, then outlined his collarbone.

“And here.”

Where else would be satisfying to put his lips? His shoulders, his forearms, his hands, ooh, his fingers, definitely those too, all of them, one at a time, he wanted to nip off the wet just as he watched Raihan do earlier that night. Although most of his memory was foggy, that image remained crystal-clear in his mind.

“You’re drunk,” Raihan said, though his statement was a little breathless. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

Leon interlocked their fingers, and again set them on either side of Raihan’s head. His eyelids lowered as Leon breathed out his response.

“I know what I want.”

Raihan’s eyebrows pulled together and he tore his eyes away. Everything around him was fuzzy, but there was the sharp corner of his jaw again.

“Not when you’re drunk,” Raihan replied as he slipped his fingers out from Leon’s. “We can’t, I can’t… not when you’re drunk.”

Leon wanted to kiss him.

“I want you, Rai. I want you between my lips, between my teeth.”

He needed to kiss him.

“Holy shit,” Raihan murmured as he squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head.

Leon watched a delectable deep red tinge his cheeks, and his eyes trailed to see how far down the blush went, though his shirt stopped the progress of his view. He needed to kiss him, he needed to touch him, he needed as much of his body against Raihan as he could possibly manage. As soon as he started tugging Raihan’s shirt up, Raihan ducked under Leon’s arm.

“Why don’t you lay down for a bit?” Raihan asked as he gestured towards the bed. “Sleep it off, I’ll make sure everyone gets home safe this time.”

He didn’t want everyone else, he wanted Raihan. He wanted those eyes, he wanted those lips, he wanted those hands pressed against him again. He needed him, and he needed him now.

Leon was fading in and out, and everything was getting fuzzy, except for the sharp blue of Raihan’s eyes. Everything was like a stop-motion picture. He was pushing Raihan against the wall, then Raihan was standing beside the bed, then the covers were in a different spot than they were a moment ago.

Raihan was too far away.

There, that was better.

Then something soft was beneath him, and he saw those icy blue eyes leaning over him, then, they were under him as he felt something firm beneath his legs.

Something warm was between his lips.

The taste was intoxicating.

There was a sound.

What was that?

It made something flare deep within him, made his hips grind against whatever was beneath him.

He needed to hear that sound again. He needed that fire to stir in him again.

Something soft was between his lips, then something hard against his tongue.

There was another sound that intensified that craving.

_“L-Leon.”_

Leon had never wanted anything more in his entire life than to hear that again.

There was the glint of icy blue.

Another moan.

He needed more.

He slid his fingers down and tugged at the fabric.

He felt a sharp pain against his chest, then something soft beneath him again.

Then it went dark, only for a bright light to shoot into his eyes, and he heard some different sounds.

He was being pulled somewhere.

He heard some mumbling, some muttering, then someone was rubbing his back, and he leaned into the touch. He turned, curled around the warmth, but this person was smaller than he had hoped.

“Where’s Rai?” he heard himself mumble.

“He’ll be right back, okay?”

He nodded.

“Is he gone?” he mumbled again.

“No, love, he’ll be back.”

“Mmkay. Where’s Sonia?”

“She’s right over there. Want me to get her?”

He nodded.

“Hey Leon, you okay?” came Sonia’s voice.

He nodded and held his arms out. He enveloped her into a hug and rested his head on her chest.

“Where am I?” he asked groggily.

“You’re in the kitchen with me and Nessa,” Sonia said.

He nodded again, and the light was fading in and out as Sonia combed through his hair. It was nice, but not as nice as when Raihan would do it.

“Leon?”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Mhmm.”

“When Raihan comes back, be gentle with him, okay? Only kiss him if he says you can.”

“Mmkay. Is he mad?”

“No, I think he’s just overwhelmed.”

“Because of me?”

“Will you drink some water for me?”

“Mmkay.”

Leon opened his eyes to see a glass glinting on the island counter in front of him. He brought it to his lips and drank hungrily.

“Will you eat this for me?”

He opened his eyes again to see Sonia holding out some bread. He shoved the whole slice in his mouth.

“Gross,” Nessa muttered from across the counter.

Leon breathed out a sigh as Sonia combed through his hair again. Darkness swirled behind his eyelids as his consciousness started to slip.

“Nessa,” Sonia whispered harshly. “Throw me that towel, he’s drooling all over my shirt.”

He vaguely heard the click of a phone camera, then everything went fuzzy.

It was dark for a while.

Leon sighed again.

The noises around him were quieter, though.

It seemed the room was swirling, even though his eyes were closed.

Someone was combing through his hair again, brushing it off his face. He knew that touch.

“Rai?”

“Hi Leon, how’re you feeling?”

“Like rubbish.”

“I figured. Want to sleep someplace a little more comfortable?”

He nodded.

“Rai?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry I’m drunk.”

“You finally admit it,” Raihan chuckled. Leon smiled at the sound. “Don’t worry about it, okay? We all get drunk here and there, and the Champion of Galar is no exception. I’m not mad at you, and neither is anyone else.”

“Where are Sonia and Nessa?” he mumbled.

“They’re sleeping on the couch.”

“I always sleep on the couch.”

“You can sleep in my bed,” Raihan said.

“With you?”

“I… don’t think that’d be a good idea. I’ll probably sleep on the floor out here.”

His heart sank.

“Can you sleep with me?” Leon asked. He unlaced their fingers, and Raihan turned back to him. The blue in his eyes glinted. “If I promise I won’t kiss you?”

Raihan bit his lip and shifted between his two feet.

“And I’ll keep you warm,” Leon continued. “You’ll be really cold if you’re on the floor.”

Raihan chuckled, and a soft smile spread over Leon’s lips.

“I know you like being close to me, and I like being close to you,”

“You’re so godamn cute,” Raihan said as he breathed out a sigh. “Fine, but just because you’d probably crawl out and lay with me anyway.”

Something blossomed within him when Raihan smiled again, and he followed Raihan, slid under the covers, quickly curled around him, and exhaled deeply.

“Rai?”

“Yeah?”

Leon nestled against him, and heaved out another sigh. Although the release of sleep was quickly approaching, he needed to tell Raihan what had been on his heart for years. He never had the courage, but as they were laying there, wrapped in each other’s arms, and those rubbish teas still laced through his rationale, Leon finally breathed it out.

“I’m in love with you.”


	2. Liquor

**RAIHAN'S POV**

“You were close this year, Rai,”

Raihan gave a nod of acknowledgement.

Every year was the same. Raihan would host the end-of-season party for the Gym Leaders and their friends, Leon would come over early to help set up, it would be just the two of them, Leon would say those exact same words with that exact same smile, and Raihan would grunt in response.

“I’m glad we get to do this together, though,” Leon said.

Raihan nodded. And next, Leon would say ‘What a good season, huh?’

“And what a good season, huh?” Leon grinned.

He knew that man like the back of his hand.

Raihan nodded again as he set out bottles and glasses on his island counter.

Every year was the same. Every year he would pull out these same bottles, the same people would come, he would get buzzed, other people would get drunk, some questionable pictures would be taken, everyone except for Leon would leave for the night, it would be just the two of them talking for hours alone in the dark on his couch, they would be sitting much too close to each other, Raihan would think ‘maybe,’ but then Leon would fall asleep, and he would again fail to tell Leon how he felt.

Next, Leon would talk about their match.

“Your Flygon seems quicker than last year, have you been doing special training?”

Raihan nodded. Next, he would guess where. Sometimes he would be wrong, sometimes he would be right.

“Dusty Bowl?”

“Close. Lake of Outrage.”

And then, he would smile. Because whether he guessed wrong, or whether he guessed right, he would smile that stupid smile that made Raihan’s insides melt.

Leon smiled, and Raihan had to tear his gaze away. Ugh. Even though he saw that stupid smile on the regular, it never failed to affect him. He was pathetic.

Next, he would ask who was coming, even though the same people came every year. It would be the Gym Leaders old enough to drink, and some of their friends. Sometimes their significant others, but that changed year to year. What was consistent was who didn’t bring guests and who did, even if the guests themselves changed.

“Anyone new coming this year that you know of?” Leon asked as he pushed some furniture to make a larger space in the living room.

Raihan’s eyes flicked up and to Leon’s outfit that Raihan handpicked for that night. Normally he tried to be subtle, but that man was so dense you could strip in front of him and he would just ask if you were warm and wanted him to turn up the air conditioning. So, this year he picked out those dark jeans that accented one of Raihan’s favorite features of his, because it wasn’t like Leon would ask why. Even if Leon was absolutely oblivious, that didn’t stop him from having an unfairly fit body, and Raihan wasn’t going to let him wear that stupid baggy cape if he had anything to say about it.

“I don’t think so,” Raihan said as he wiped off his counters.

Next, Leon would ask if he could have Charizard out for a spell, Raihan would say no, Leon would say please, and Raihan would say only if you go outside and stand a mile from the apartment. Some years he would, some years he wouldn’t.

“Are you bringing anyone?” Leon asked.

Raihan froze in his reach for the faucet.

That wasn’t on script.

“What?”

“Like, did you invite someone?” Leon said again. “Someone special?”

Raihan’s eyebrows pulled together. That was a new question.

“What?” Raihan repeated.

“You know,” Leon said again as he stood straight. “A date?”

His mind felt like a phone that had been left off the receiver too long.

“A… date?”

Leon nodded.

“Oh, uh,” Raihan muttered as he scratched behind his neck. “Not this year, no.”

Even though Raihan had his pitiful and unrequited crush on the strongest and sexiest man in Galar, he occasionally cut his losses and settled for some one-night stands or a few dates here and there. He had a fanbase, he knew he had some sort of sex appeal. At least, he was appealing to those who had any semblance of what sex appeal was.

“…Why? Are you?” Raihan asked.

Leon shook his head, then shrugged and gave that stupid grin again.

“Just curious. You’ve been talking with that girl lately, so I was wondering if you were going to bring her.”

He shook his head.

Was… that it? He went off script for that? Just because he was curious? Why was he curious? Why would he care? Why would he wonder? He had noticed that he was talking to someone? Someone that was hot but had the conversation skills of a loaf of bread? Did he care? Why would he care? If he didn’t care, why would he bring it up? Or why would he bother to notice? Did that mean he paid attention? To him? And his dating life?

“Rai?”

Raihan shook out of his stupor.

“Huh?”

“You okay?”

“What? Uh, yeah, sorry, what’d you say?”

“I said is she your girlfriend?”

“No!” Raihan said a little louder than he intended. “No, she’s not. I’m single.”

Subtle.

“Oh,” Leon said as he turned towards the living room again. “That’s good.”

What.

Why would that be good.

Maybe Leon knew about her bread loaf personality and wanted better for him. That was probably it. They were best mates, after all.

Although Raihan’s mind was quickly rerouting and recalibrating again, he had to shake his head into focus when there was a knock on the door, then Sonia and Nessa let themselves in.

“Hey you two!” Sonia said with a grin. “Great finals match, so fun to watch!”

“Definitely,” Nessa agreed. “And there will be even more fun to watch tonight.”

As she sang the end of her sentence, she held up two fifths of liquor. Raihan grinned. Next to Leon, Nessa was his closest friend, and she always knew just what to bring to cheer him up when he got pouty about his hopeless crush.

“Ah, you know me so well,” Raihan said as he enveloped Nessa into a hug. He gave her a smooch on the top of her head, then gave each of her liquor bottles a smooch too.

Raihan gave Sonia a hug next, turned to take the bottles to the island counter, only to falter in his steps when he saw Leon’s face. Was that… a scowl? It was gone as quickly as it came, though, as he also stepped up to greet their two friends.

He shook the thought out. He was probably just imagining things anyway. He probably just imagined Leon commenting on his relationship status, too. If he was already imagining things, then it was high time for a drink.

Raihan poured a drink for himself, for Nessa, for Sonia, and he got some water for Leon. A lot of people figured he thought he was better than everyone for not drinking, but Leon couldn’t care less about alcohol. He’d rather think about Pokémon battles than get wasted, the dork.

They all delved into conversation as Raihan handed out their drinks in the living room. That was also what happened every year; Nessa and Sonia would show up first since the four of them were the closest, then normally it was Milo, sometimes Piers would come (but only if they hadn’t bitched at each other recently – he wouldn’t be coming this year), then it switched up a bit in the middle, and Gordie was always last. If Raihan didn’t host the party, he’d be the last one, ensuring that he could be fashionably late, but the location stayed the same every year too. He didn’t mind though, he liked hosting. Gave him time to set up with Leon, and time to talk with him on his couch in the dark for hours as they sat too close.

The time seemed to fly, friends and guests started to trickle in, and it wasn’t long before the party was in full swing. Raihan didn’t have a huge apartment so it was cozy, but he liked it that way. If it was too big, then it felt much too empty when he was alone. And this way, people were practically forced to mingle, seeing as there wasn’t much space to hide away somewhere. It seemed homier that way, too, like they were all a big family.

Gordie often mixed the drinks (even though he was always the last to arrive), and they all held their glasses up for a toast to another successful Gym Challenge season. After some corny, yet heartfelt, words from Leon, they all downed their drinks, and the night officially began.

Raihan was pleasantly buzzed as he chatted with Sonia and someone he didn’t recognize. That was something else he liked about hosting – he always had the advantage of his home turf, so he was more comfortable talking with strangers. The buzz helped, too. He glanced up to see Leon leaning over the counter and chatting with Gordie, and he easily drank in the view of those form-fitting jeans. He picked well that year.

It was about time for a refill, although part of him just wanted a closer look at the form those jeans were fit over. Raihan stepped over to catch the end of Leon and Gordie’s conversation.

“Raihan was probably the closest he’s ever been this time,” Leon said. “But they don’t give the Champion title away to people who are _almost_ good enough to beat me.”

Although Raihan was often pining away, he couldn’t stop that spark of competition that flared between them. He stuck out his tongue at Leon as he stepped over to refill his glass. Gordie started asking Leon what kind of drink he wanted, and Raihan rolled his eyes. This wasn’t their first party, and this wasn’t Gordie’s first time bartending. He should know that Leon didn’t drink, and hardly knew what any alcohol was anyway. He stepped over and flung an arm around Leon’s shoulders.

“It’ll probably take all night to describe everything,” Raihan said as he rolled his eyes. “I’d just pick something for him, if I were you.”

He couldn’t help himself – Raihan was naturally a touchy person, and found hugs and pats on the back and holding hands really fulfilling, so every once in a while he indulged himself in those broad shoulders.

As he stepped over to the living room, he overheard Leon mutter something about his winning streak, and Raihan flipped him off.

“You’re hopeless,” Nessa said as she shook her head. “You’ve barely had one drink and you already can’t keep your hands off him.”

“Stuff it, Ness,” Raihan said as he lifted his glass to his lips. “It was just the one.”

“I think he likes it,” Nessa said with an impish grin.

Now _that_ was funny, and Raihan barked out a laugh.

“Yeah right, don’t get my hopes up.”

“I’m telling you Raihan, he is super into you,”

“Now you’re being cruel,” Raihan sighed as he rolled his eyes. Nessa was a good friend, but he didn’t need to be lied to.

“I mean it,” she said as she subtly nodded her head towards the bar. “Seriously, he’s literally staring at you right now.”

Raihan glanced up, only to watch as Leon turned back to the counter.

He… was probably just people-watching. Not person-watching.

“He talks about you all the time,” Nessa said as she sipped at her drink. “Me and Sonia were actually going to come earlier, but he told us not to. He told us to go out to eat first at this rubbish restaurant, but it was probably just so he could have more time alone with you.”

Raihan raised his eyebrows.

“And,” Nessa continued. “Look at what he’s wearing. Sonia has been trying forever to get him to wear something not hideous, and the second _you_ pick it out for him he happily strips. He probably can’t even breathe in those jeans, but he’s wearing them because _you_ asked him to.”

“He did ask if I was bringing a date earlier,” Raihan muttered as he mulled over her examples. “He asked about-“

“Oh god, not that piece of paper you’ve been talking to,” Nessa interrupted as she rolled her eyes. “Look I get that she’s really hot but she’s so freaking boring.”

Raihan laughed and shrugged, he couldn’t deny that one.

“Piece of paper?” he repeated. “That one’s new. You normally call her ‘beige personified’ or ‘a stale ham sandwich.’”

Nessa waved him off.

“Whatever, I’m not going to let you waste your time on boring people when we all know who you’re really in love with.”

The heat rose to his cheeks and Raihan took another sip of his drink.

“Can we not talk about this when he’s right over there?” Raihan mumbled.

“Fine, Sonia and Milo look like they’re starting a game up anyway,” Nessa said as she stepped over to them. Raihan followed and perched on the armrest as Nessa settled into the middle of the couch.

Milo tried to explain the rules of the card game, Raihan didn’t understand, nor did he really care about understanding. He was immediately out the first hand, and it didn’t take long for Nessa to paw at him.

“Will you play with my hair?” she asked. “Since you’re just sitting there?”

“You really know how to woo a guy, huh?” Raihan scoffed.

“You’re so good at it,” she said through a grin. She playfully batted her eyelashes. “You’re so good at everything except this card game.”

“There we go, much better,” Raihan said as he rolled his eyes.

He quickly slid over, sat behind Nessa, and started fiddling with her hair. That was something they had in common – they were both touchy people. They had tried dating once, when they both realized they liked touching each other, but that was disastrous, as they seemed to like bickering even more. They both immediately settled on the fact that it was a terrible idea that they would never speak of again. After an awkward two weeks of ‘what are we,’ they had an exhibition match, released all their frustration and confusion through an intense and explosive Pokémon battle, and were close friends ever since.

Raihan glanced up to see Leon coming their way, and immediately he sat a little straighter. Shit, yeah, he picked out a good outfit for him that year. Why did he do that? Why didn’t he let Leon wear his stupid baggy cape and ugly uniform? That V-neck and those tight jeans were going to torture him all night.

Leon plopped down next to Nessa and she nearly launched off the couch. His attempt at excellent posture went to pot when a laugh exploded from his mouth.

“Alright alright, if you want to sit here you can just tell me,” Nessa huffed as she readjusted herself at the other end of the couch. “Don’t have to ricochet me off the furniture.”

“Whoops, s’ry Nessa,” Leon said. “…I mean sorry.”

Leon’s eyebrows pulled together as he felt his throat. Raihan’s brow furrowed too. That sentence was a little garbled, which was strange for Leon. Years of being the Champion meant he was pretty articulate, and well-versed in public speaking, so it wasn’t like him to catch on his words like that. Maybe he misheard, though. Raihan shook the thought out in favor of scooching an inch to the right so he sat behind Leon. He could indulge himself a little bit more, that wouldn’t be too obvious. At least not to Leon, anyway.

He pulled Leon’s hair off his neck and started combing through. He let his fingers graze over his skin, gently under his jaw, before combing through again, and he bit back a mournful sigh. Why did he do this to himself? That man was like a furnace, too. Raihan often had cold hands, thanks to his terrible circulation, but Leon was always toasty. That was his excuse, especially in the winter, to hug him and touch him even more. He seemed a little warmer than normal, though, even a little damp. Raihan was still cold even with his sweater, but maybe it was too hot in the room? Leon splayed out on the couch, and his brows furrowed.

“You’re really warm, Leon,” Raihan said as he patted his cheeks. “Is it hot in here?”

“I’m fine,” Sonia said. Nessa and Milo nodded in agreement.

“Everyone in my family runs hot,” Leon said.

“You don’t have to tell him that,” Nessa muttered through a grin.

Raihan shot her a daggered look, and when she winked, Raihan shoved her shoulder. He might have to cut her off soon, or risk her spilling some sensitive information.

“Alright,” Sonia huffed. “We’re playing a different card game since this one doesn’t make any sense. I heard about one on a podcast, but there’s only three players.”

“You me and Milo, then!” Nessa said. He knew that mischievous glint in her eye. Even though she was risky, Nessa was more often than not an excellent wing woman.

“What about Leon?” Milo asked. “I’ve already played a couple.”

“Something tells me he’ll be fine,” Sonia said quietly.

They all glanced towards Leon, who was leaning against Raihan and breathing slowly. Raihan wished he could see his face, though he did feel Leon hum and breathe out when he lightly scratched the top of his head.

“Sonia,” Raihan whispered. “Get a picture.”

She bit her lip and grinned, pulled out her phone, and quickly snapped a photo. After approving of it, Sonia set her phone on the coffee table and let out a sigh.

“Look at him,” Sonia swooned. “He’s like my little Yamper.”

Leon barked out a laugh, and Raihan nearly toppled off the couch from shock.

“Aw, nice, he thinks I’m funny!” Sonia enthused as she pumped her fists. “Finally, a character trait that’s more than ‘she cooks good.’”

“I’m no Yamper,” Leon mumbled. “I’m a man.”

They all knew that fact, Raihan especially, and even more so when Leon suddenly flexed his biceps.

Oh god, holy shit.

Raihan had to will it with everything within him not to audibly moan at those arms.

This wasn’t even fair.

Raihan worked out too, though he was long and lean compared to Leon’s sheer bulk. Leon was tanned and toned, perfectly sculpted, and _firm._

Alright, be cool Raihan, be subtle.

He reached out, slid his hand over Leon’s bicep, and gave it a squeeze.

Oh god holy shit it was rock hard.

Be cool Raihan.

“Your biceps are probably as thick as a Yamper,” Raihan said.

Wow, nice line.

He didn’t have time to think of anything more clever or even remotely seductive, because suddenly Leon bolted up and Raihan nearly toppled off the couch again from the momentum.

“Imma get a drink,” Leon mumbled as he turned towards the kitchen. He stumbled against the wall, then held his head in his hands for a moment. Raihan’s eyebrows pulled together.

“You alright?” Milo asked.

“Just stood too quickly,” Leon said quietly. He shook his head, then continued his jagged path to the kitchen.

“He’s so weird,” Sonia muttered.

“Think he was showing off for someone?” Nessa hummed. Raihan shot her another daggered glare.

Milo chuckled. He would be embarrassed, but he was pretty sure everyone in the League knew about his stupid crush. It wasn’t like Milo would tease him (he wasn’t sure Milo even knew how to tease), but that didn’t mean he wanted his pitifulness displayed like that.

“Look at this picture, Raihan,” Sonia said as she held her phone out too him. “Literally _so_ cute.”

Raihan took the phone, and again, had to hold back a mournful sigh. There they were on the screen, and Leon had a sleepy little smile on his lips. Something gnawed within him when he looked at the two of them. Maybe this year would be the year he confessed. Maybe this year would be the year that he told Leon how he felt, and maybe they could sit like that again, maybe they could even, like, cuddle, and he could see that sleepy little smile on his pillow with him.

“You two look good together,” Milo said suddenly. “Have you ever thought about asking him out?”

Yes, Milo, literally every day of his life.

“Oh, I dunno,” Raihan said awkwardly as he scratched behind his neck. “Not sure how he feels, wouldn’t want to make our friendship weird.”

“You should risk it,” Milo said with a nod. “I think it’s worth it. You’ve tried to date most of the Gym Leaders anyway.”

Okay damn Milo chill.

Their conversation abruptly ended when Leon bumbled back over. He plopped back down and nearly sloshed his drink all over Raihan’s couch. He wouldn’t have minded, though, especially when Leon quickly snuggled up to him again.

“Ooh, whatcha got?” Sonia asked as she glanced up.

“Iced tea.”

Tea? He didn’t have any tea. He kept meaning to get some, especially since Leon didn’t drink, but he kept forgetting to buy any when he went to the store. Maybe Gordie found some? Oh, actually maybe it was that weird shit Opal gave him that he shoved in the back of his cabinet.

“Mind if I have a taste?” Raihan asked, though he was already reaching for the glass. “Gordie must have found that tea Opal got me when we last battled. For an old bat, she’s awfully good at finding strange stuff.”

Raihan took a deep taste, only to cough half of it out. Yeah that was not tea.

“Holy shit, this isn’t tea?!” he spluttered as he wiped his mouth. “Leon what are you drinking?”

“Iced tea.”

Raihan’s head whipped to the kitchen, where Gordie and Bea were watching the commotion.

“Gordie, what’d you make him?”

“A Long Island.”

“Iced tea.” Leon finished.

A collective groan filled the room.

“How many has he had?”

“…two and a half,” Gordie replied with a guilty grin.

Another groan filled the room.

“So,” Sonia continued. “You’re telling me he’s drank two and a half of these since he first sat down at the counter with you?”

“Isn’t the alcohol content in those really high? And you make stuff too strong anyway…” Milo said. Gordia nodded again, and Sonia slapped her forehead.

“Well, he’s going to die.”

“What’re you guys talking about,” Leon retorted. “I feel great! Real friggin’ hot in here, though,”

Did he just say ‘friggin’? It was rare for Leon to swear, and that counted as a swear for him.

Leon quickly peeled his shirt off, flung it to the floor, and slumped against the couch again.

“Ah,” he sighed. “Much better.”

Raihan’s heart nearly stopped. As he stared at those broad, naked shoulders, those back muscles when he stretched, the reality of the situation dawned in his mind.

Was Leon…drunk?

He didn’t have much time to mull it over, because Leon was reaching for his belt buckle next. Oh god oh shit nope nope nope not here not now and definitely not for everyone to see. Raihan quickly grabbed his hands and pinned them against his thighs.

“Nope, nope,” Raihan said. “You keep those on.”

Leon squirmed against him, and Raihan had to bite back the grunt. Leon reached backwards, reached an inch too close to something Raihan would rather he not reach towards in front of everyone, so he quickly lifted his hands again. Was this happening? Was this a dream?

“Here, let me pull your hair up,” Raihan said as he swatted at Leon’s hands. “You’d probably miss half of it anyway.”

Leon’s hands were safely on his own lap and not reaching towards him, and Raihan breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled Leon’s hair off his neck and started smoothing it into a ponytail.

“You want a hair tie?” Sonia asked.

“No, I’ve got one for him,” he said as he pulled the hair tie from his wrist, then wrapped it around his hair.

“Bro,” Nessa coughed as she tried to empty her lungs from the drink she inhaled. “You’re so whipped.”

He’d flip her off if his hands weren’t full, and if she wasn’t right.

Leon quickly stood again, only to flop back onto the couch. He started squirming again, and Raihan bit his lip. Come on, this wasn’t even fair.

“I’m gonna have a heat stroke,” Leon whined. “Let me take my pants off, Rai,”

Whatever Pokémon or deity or thing that was in charge in the universe was not being very kind to Raihan that night. He was asking him _permission_ to take off his pants? He was asking _him_ permission to take off his pants? Although Raihan had often fantasized about this exact situation, with Leon breathing that same request, he didn’t realize how terribly terrible it was playing out in his living room with a thousand people in his apartment.

“I think I’m going to have one too,” Raihan muttered. “Okay, let’s get some air to cool you down a bit. You should also probably eat something.”

After picking up some of Leon’s favorite snacks from the kitchen and some instant noodles for himself, he led him outside onto his balcony. He was grateful there were few people out on it, though he wasn’t grateful for those stupid girls that yelled up at them from the street. Leon, in all his friendly, everyone-should-be-a-trainer attitude, called back to them. They asked for pictures, and Leon heartily agreed. Great. Pictures of the shirtless and shit-faced Champion would be circulating and trending on social media within the hour. Once they propositioned them for a ‘good time,’ Raihan had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes. He wasn’t going to let some starstruck fangirls into his bedroom, mainly because he didn’t want to let them see more of Leon than they were already seeing. Maybe he could shoo Leon away somewhere and just the three of them could have a ‘good time’ together though... That idea was quickly squashed when Leon threatened them with a Pokémon battle. Was that all he thought about? Two beautiful women offering themselves to them and he still thought about Pokémon? Dork. Adorable dork. Stupidly oblivious adorable dork.

Maybe he should just go back inside, leave Leon to talk with those girls. It didn’t matter anyway, it wasn’t like Leon could ever see him like that, and that fact was a little too challenging to bear when he was standing so close and being such an absolutely stupidly oblivious adorable dork, and especially when Leon held his hands. He had chucked his half-eaten noodle cup over the side of the balcony first, though. Raihan couldn’t be mad, especially when Leon looked up at him like a little Rockruff puppy right after asking if he was feeling okay.

“I’m fine,” Raihan said as he glanced to the side.

“You can tell me anything,” Leon said.

Raihan could hardly look at him and that pouty lip and those long eyelashes. What was he supposed to say? ‘I’m in love with you, you idiot?’ Not when he was drunk and shirtless. If he didn’t understand that those girls wanted his body almost as badly as he did, then there was no way Leon would understand how Raihan felt. No, tonight was certainly not going how Raihan had planned.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Raihan said.

“You’re the most challenging person I’ve ever known.”

Great. So he was hopeless and annoying.

“I actually have to think when I battle with you, I mean,” Leon said as he held his hands to his chest. “I mean you’re so much more clever than I am, I honestly don’t always know how you don’t beat me every year. You’re really talented, Rai, and I’m proud of how hard you work, and I learn so much from you.”

Raihan met his gaze. Why was he doing this now? Did he even know what he was saying? Did he know what he was doing? Did Leon know how much he was affecting him? All sincere and vulnerable and still shirtless and pressing his hands against his firm chest?

Leon babbled at him for a few more minutes, though Raihan couldn’t understand what it was he was trying to say. Even throughout rambling, every word was laced with sincerity, and Raihan could hardly bare that intensity that blazed in his golden eyes.

And then, Leon told him that he made him sweaty.

“…What?” Raihan asked.

“O-okay, I uh, I mean,” Leon stuttered.

Was this on purpose? Leon hardly ever stumbled over his words, but something about it made Raihan feel like it wasn’t just his blood alcohol level. Was he trying to be cute? Because if he was, it was working.

“I mean you make my stomach do backflips and you’ve got the best smile I’ve ever seen,” Leon said.

The words settled over him, just as the night breeze did.

That was…

He probably just meant that like…

As a… friend? Rival? Maybe?

The glow of the streetlamps cast a warm orange light over them, and those words tugged at Raihan’s heart.

The corners of Raihan’s mouth twitched up.

And suddenly Leon was very much in his space, and very much leaning up towards him, and very much pressing his lips against his cheek.

Was he dreaming? Or was this like, sleep paralysis or something? Because Raihan definitely couldn’t move for a minute. Or maybe it was an hour. He could practically see the buffering wheel slowly spinning as his brain calibrated what the hell just happened.

“Uh,” Raihan mumbled. “Thanks.”

Wow, another nice line. The love of your life kisses your cheek on your balcony as the stars and streetlamps glow around you, and you say ‘uh, thanks.’ Raihan hid half his face in his sweater collar.

“You’re welcome.”

Well that wasn’t much better, actually.

Leon was drunk.

That’s what it was.

Raihan shoved away that little bit of light, that little bit of fuzzy whatever that was in him, as he repeated that in his mind. Leon couldn’t like him like that, because he was drunk.

“You’re super drunk,” Raihan said.

Maybe if he said it aloud, that would sew it into reality.

“No’m not.”

Well, that slurred response certainly was real.

As Leon stood there, swaying slightly, and only blinking one eye at a time, Raihan couldn’t help but breathe out a laugh. Leon would always be his idiot, even if he wasn’t officially his idiot.

But oh god oh shit it was so hard when he smiled like that. Leon was beaming up at him with that stupid smile, and Raihan couldn’t even look at him. It was blinding.

He needed to get out of there before he couldn’t stop himself from kissing that stupid smile.

“Well I’m sufficiently freezing,” Raihan coughed out. “C’mon back inside, I’ll get you some shorts so you’re not hot.”

“Wicked, thanks mate,” Leon said as he reached towards his buckle again.

“ _Wait_ until we get to my room,” Raihan said as he quickly grabbed Leon’s hand.

Raihan bit back another groan as Leon casually interlocked their fingers. This wasn’t happening. Or maybe it was, and holding hands was just something rivals did? Maybe? Yeah that rationale was terrible.

His head whipped around when Nessa whistled again, and he saw that Leon’s free hand was reaching for his belt buckle. He couldn’t wait to take off his pants. In Raihan’s room. While holding his hand. Yeah. Nice. This wasn’t the most precarious situation Raihan had ever put himself in.

“Shut up, Ness,” Raihan hissed.

“Have fun you two,” Nessa hummed in reply as she snapped a picture on her phone. He flipped her off again.

After tightly closing the door, he sat Leon on his bed and pointed a finger at him.

“Stay.”

Leon bit his lip and nodded.

Raihan really needed him to not bite his lip. He really needed him to not bite his lip and not look at him like that and not nod obediently when he told him to do something. _This_ was now officially the most precarious situation Raihan had ever put himself in.

He hid in his closet.

“You can do this,” Raihan whispered to himself as he leaned his head against a shelf of shirts. “Just don’t think about it.”

Not thinking about those hooded eyes staring up at him from his bed would be as easy as finding a shiny Goomy made of diamonds and applesauce.

He scrounged around for some shorts, though it took him a while to find something that would fit Leon’s ridiculous muscle mass. He stepped out into the room, only to choke on his own spit when he saw Leon.

He was causally draped on his bed in just his underwear and prominently showcasing the results of his intense weightlifting training.

“Hey,” Leon said. It was as if honey were dripping from the word.

Just don’t think about it. Think about the least sexy thing possible, like cardboard or dirt or Opal.

“Uh,” Raihan coughed again. Why was this happening. “Hi. I have pants for you.”

Leon bit his lip again, and Raihan had to tear gaze away.

“What’re you looking at?” Leon asked as he tried to follow Raihan’s gaze. He turned, and Raihan’s eyes followed the line of definition on his chest, down his stomach, down his legs. Oh god oh shit _why_ was this man so fit and toned?

He couldn’t think about it long, because someone called for Leon from outside the door and he immediately bolted up and out of the room. Sonia screamed and he heard Nessa choking on her drink again.

Raihan sighed, and followed him into the living room.

He had already made himself comfortable on Sonia’s lap, so he tossed the pants onto his face and went to the kitchen. They could deal with him for a little while because Raihan needed his pulse to slow down before he went into cardiac arrest.

“Hey Raihan,” Gordie said as he met him at the island counter. “Want something?”

“I don’t care what it is,” Raihan groaned as he flopped his head onto the counter. “Just make it strong enough to deal with a wasted and almost-naked Champion Leon.”

“Can do,” Gordie said with a chuckle. “Probably.”

As Gordie clinked around, he was surprised to see that Leon had actually put his pants on, finally. He was talking with Sonia and a few other people that were in the living room, and Raihan rested his head on his fist. He should be fine for a while.

Raihan and Gordie started chatting about the next Gym Challenge season, and Bea eventually came up to join them. Gordie was one of the friendliest people he knew, but Raihan never knew how to talk to Bea. He had hit on her the first time he met her, and he got the cold shoulder ever since. Maybe that was just her face, though. After a while he glanced back to see Leon alone on the couch, so he chuckled to himself, Gordie and Bea gave a nod of understanding, and Raihan headed to the living room.

Raihan greeted some of the guests that were sitting around his coffee table, and Leon immediately bolted up with a grin. He quickly patted the couch cushion, there was no way Raihan could refuse the Champion in front of all of these people (nor did he really want to), so he sat down and let Leon rest his head on his lap.

He was mindlessly coming through Leon’s hair as he chatted with this new group of people. Leon cut in occasionally to add a comment here or there, but after a while, he had become strangely quiet. Raihan thought he had fallen asleep, only to glance down to see him staring up at him with that stupid, heartwarming smile. Didn’t he know there were other people in the room? Why he’d have to look at him all… tender?

After a while, a lot of his guests started to trickle out, so he lifted Leon as gently as he could, tucked a pillow under his head, and said goodbye to most of them. It was a few close friends left over, so they wouldn’t mind if he dipped out for a second.

Raihan was a little drained as he flopped onto his bed. He was good at talking to people, but that didn’t mean it didn’t wear him down after a while. And corralling Mr. Champion took quite a bit of energy, too. Raihan stepped over to his closet, peeled off his own tight clothes in favor of sweatpants and a shirt. It was convenient that he looked good in anything, so he was sure no one would mind.

He stepped back into his room just in time to see Leon wandering in. His heart swelled at the sight, and he mentally slapped himself for being so pitifully head over heels.

“Hey bud,”

Leon’s face broke into a smile, he whipped around, and nearly toppled to the ground. Raihan quickly reached out to hold his shoulders. After a bit of back and forth on where he was, him denying the fact that he was still drunk, and Leon affirming that they were best mates about three times, Raihan’s heart pounded when Leon slammed his hand against the wall beside his head.

He was standing much too close.

“I want to put my mouth here,” Leon whispered. Again, that honey dripped from each word.

Raihan’s eyes widened, and his pulse was racing again when Leon dragged his fingers to his cheekbone, to his jaw, down his throat, across his collarbone, each time telling him that he wanted his mouth there, too.

“You’re drunk,” Raihan breathed. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

Leon interlocked their fingers, and again set them on either side of Raihan’s head. His eyelids lowered as Leon breathed out his response.

“I know what I want.”

Raihan had to bite back the groan at those whispered words. This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be happening, Leon didn’t want him like that…

Did he…?

N-no, he was just drunk.

“Not when you’re drunk,” Raihan replied as he slipped his fingers out from Leon’s. “We can’t, I can’t… not when you’re drunk.”

Though everything in Raihan wanted to kiss him.

“I want you, Rai. I want you between my lips, between my teeth.”

Holy shit.

“Holy shit,” Raihan murmured as he squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head. His eyes shot open again when Leon’s fingers dragged down and started tugging his shirt up. His knuckles hit his hips, and Raihan quickly ducked under Leon’s arm.

“Why don’t you lay down for a bit?” Raihan said as he gestured towards the bed. “Sleep it off, I’ll make sure everyone gets home safe this time.”

Raihan stepped around, unfurled the top covers, then patted the sheets.

“See? Nice and comfy, yeah?” he said with a curt nod. “Lay down for a bit Leon.”

Leon stepped over to him, and Raihan swallowed hard.

He had never seen such hunger in his eyes.

They were dark, murky, his pupils dilated as he stopped only a foot away. This was getting dangerous.

And then, Leon leaned in, and pressed his lips against Raihan’s.

He paused, then did it again, a little harder.

Raihan grunted, though he couldn’t bring himself to unlatch from Leon.

They stumbled onto the bed, Leon crawled on top of him, straddled his waist, and kissed him harder. He curled his hand into his hair, fit his bottom lip between his teeth, and Raihan breathed out a shaky breath.

Raihan was short-circuiting, unable to think, unable to process, as Leon kissed him even harder. It was like he was on autopilot, letting his body move forward as his mind tried to catch up. Every rational thought was pushed out in favor of how Leon felt, what he tasted like.

Leon kissed him again, parted his lips, and drew a moan from deep in Raihan’s throat. He couldn’t, they shouldn’t, but it was near impossible to stop when Leon started grinding his hips against him. It was dizzying, Raihan was breathless, as Leon gripped his hands and helped Raihan explore his bare skin. Years of fantasies of what he would feel like, what he would taste like, were culminating into this exact moment, as if they laid themselves between the ridges of muscle on his stomach, his shoulders, his back, his thighs. It was like his fingers were meant to be slotted within each dip, within each curve, or like Leon’s lips were meant to fit so perfectly over his collarbone, at his shoulders, under his jaw. Leon trailed kisses up his neck to press his tongue against the corner of his jaw, all the while slowly and rhythmically grinding his hips against him. It was like Leon knew every single one of his sensitive spots, knew just how to get him to stop thinking.

“L-Leon,” Raihan breathed.

Leon hummed a low growl of approval and kissed him again. That dangerous heat flared within Raihan at the sound.

“We can’t-”

Leon was slowly trailing his hands down Raihan’s chest, stomach, and the second he dipped his fingers under the elastic of his sweats, Raihan’s mind caught up, he grunted, then pushed him off.

“Not when you’re drunk,” Raihan said, though again his sentence was all breath. “I won’t when you’re drunk.”

Leon was heaving out breaths as he laid splayed on the sheets. His gaze was latched to Raihan’s, those dark and murky golden eyes were lidded and glassy as he stared up at him. Raihan had to tear his gaze away.

“Kiss me,” Leon whispered.

No, no, not when he was drunk, not when he was drunk. But again, those thoughts were muffled when Leon settled himself onto Raihan’s lap.

“Kiss me, Rai,” Leon whispered again. He pressed their chests together and curled his arms around Raihan’s shoulders. _“Please.”_

Raihan’s eyes flit from his eyes, to his lips, and his eyebrows furrowed.

“I know you want me, Rai,” Leon whispered. “I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

Temptation personified. That’s what this was.

Leon gently snaked his hand behind Raihan’s neck, gently pulled him closer. His lips slowly trailed up his throat, and Raihan’s eyes fluttered closed at the feeling.

“And I want you,” he whispered against his skin. “I want you to kiss me,”

Then Leon’s breath was hot against his ear.

“I want you to do whatever you want to me.”

Hoo. _Wow._ Yeah, he needed to get out of there, and quickly, before another twang of heat shot down his body.

“You’re making this so challenging,” Raihan groaned.

Leon leaned in, only to yelp when Raihan shoved him off again when the door opened.

“Is… this a bad time?” Milo asked awkwardly.

They stared at Milo as he shifted between his two feet.

“Right, sorry ‘bout that,” he said with a curt nod as he backed out the door. “I, uh, me and Bea and Gordie are heading out, just thought we should let you know.”

“Thanks for coming,” Raihan said.

“Yeah, it was a good party.”

The only movement in the room was Milo’s eyes flicking between him and Leon.

“ _Bye_ Milo,” Raihan said.

“Right, bye,” Milo said with another nod as he closed the door.

Leon immediately lifted himself up, though Raihan shuffled to the edge of the bed and quickly moved back when Leon reached for him again.

“We can’t be alone,” Raihan said quickly as he shook his head into focus. He needed to keep his focus, he couldn’t let his mind lag behind again. “I-I can’t Leon, not when you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Raihan pulled Leon up and along by his hand out into the living room. He could feel Leon’s gaze latched to him until Raihan gently sat him in a barstool and stepped around the counter. He could feel Leon staring at him, though Raihan wouldn’t meet those hungry eyes as he set a glass of water in front of him.

“Drink.”

As Leon was chugging down his water and trying to not let it dribble down his chin, Raihan held his head in his hands and heaved out a sigh. Nessa walked over and gave him an understanding pat on the shoulder.

“How’d it go in there? I heard some thumping.”

Raihan groaned in response.

“Did someone get pushed against the wall?”

With another groan, Raihan nodded, and Nessa chuckled.

“And onto my bed.”

“I told you he was into you,” Nessa said.

Raihan rubbed over his face and took in a shaky breath.

“He kissed me.”

“Holy shit,” Nessa said as her eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? I didn’t think he even knew what kissing was.”

“Arceus, Ness, it was so hot,” he muttered through his fingers. “He was literally begging me to kiss him. He’s so drunk, he didn’t even know what he was doing, either.”

“Are you surprised?” Nessa said with a chuckle. “He probably doesn’t realize he’s staring at you right now.”

Raihan didn’t dare glance up to prove her statement.

“I need some air, can you make sure he doesn’t kill himself or destroy anything?”

“You want _me_ to contain the man? He’s like, double my size! What am I supposed to do?”

“Yeah, maybe ask Sonia too, sorry but I might not be able to stop myself if he touches me like that again. Or I’ll explode. One of the two.”

“Why stop yourself?” Nessa said. “It’s obvious he wants you, and you’ve wanted him to want you like that forever.”

“He might just want attention from anyone,” Raihan said as he set his head on his chin and watched Leon wipe his mouth.

“I don’t see him making out with me or Sonia in your bed,” Nessa said as she crossed her arms.

Raihan sighed and rubbed over his face.

“He’s really drunk,” Raihan said with another sigh. “I don’t want him to do something he’d regret, and I won’t take advantage of him just because I’ve wanted this forever. I want him to be able to choose it too.”

Nessa gave him another understanding pat on the shoulder.

“You’re a good man, Raihan. He’s lucky to have someone like you looking out for him.”

“You’ll stay here with him? I’ll just be a minute.”

“Okay, yeah,” Nessa said with a nod. “You got this.”

Raihan gave her a quick hug, pat Leon on the head, and stepped out onto the balcony. The crisp night air filled his lungs and started clearing away the fog of his mind.

Well huh.

This year was a little different than previous years.

Raihan leaned over the balcony railing and heaved out another sigh. The warm glow of the streetlamps cast an orange tint over the cobblestone street, and the shadows flickered over the dark stones. Quiet voices from his neighbors on their balconies laced into the air, and soft laughter and chatter harmonized with the night breeze.

Normally he and Leon would try to stand out here for a little bit, since it was often a beautiful night, and they would talk for a while as the moon shone over their heads. The light would glint in his eyes when he laughed, and Raihan would have to tell him to keep it down, since it was late, and his neighbors were fussy. Leon would apologize, though he wouldn’t quiet his laugh the next time either. Raihan never really minded. Their arms would be pressed together, since Leon would know he was cold, and they would stand out here in the dark for a while, talking about anything, everything, nothing, or whatever Raihan could think of to make Leon laugh again.

Raihan would want it to be then. He would want it to be just the two of them outside, and he would say ‘hey, I’m in love with you,’ then Leon would smile, and say ‘I know. I’m in love with you too.’ Then, Raihan would lean in, cup his jaw, and gently kiss him.

Raihan sighed again and tucked his arms around himself. That was his plan, anyway. That was his plan every year, and every year he would screw it up, or get too cold, or chicken out. Not this year though, yeesh. Raihan gave himself a pat on the back though. A weaker man would have caved to that temptation, but he didn’t want his confession to be like that, he didn’t want their first kiss to be like that.

That one didn’t count.

Yeah, that sounded good. That idea pleasantly resonated in his head.

Raihan nodded and he smiled to himself. He could tell Leon tomorrow, when he wasn’t drunk and needy. Tonight had gone vehemently off script anyway, he could re-imagine a confession scenario in the morning kitchen light instead of the his balcony in the dark easily enough. Leon very well may forget everything that happened in his bedroom anyway, what with how utterly wasted he was. They could start fresh in the morning.

He vaguely wondered if Leon had ever kissed anyone before. He was sure they would have talked about it, if he had. It wasn’t like he had _no_ idea what romance was, since he had expressed interest in people before, though he never did anything about it. Being the Champion did suck much of his time, to be fair. He wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t had a first kiss at all, though, since he was a little sloppy earlier. A smirk formed on his face, and Raihan selfishly hoped that were the case. He’d want to be the one to kiss him first, and maybe show him the ropes. And then maybe show him some ropes for some other things, too, especially since Leon said he’d let him do whatever he wa-

He quickly shook the thought out. One thing at a time, Raihan, damn, chill out.

After another deep breath of the crisp night air, Raihan stretched and headed back inside. He chuckled to see Leon drooling on a towel Sonia had laid over her shirt.

“How’s he doing?” he asked as he took a seat beside them.

“I think he’s down for the night,” Sonia said as she affectionately brushed his hair from his face. “What a weirdo.”

“We got him to drink some water and eat something, so let’s just hope he doesn’t puke over everything later,” Nessa said as she leaned against the counter. Raihan nodded.

“Did everyone else head out?” he asked as he gazed around the room. The… absolutely trashed room. Yikes.

“Yeah,” Sonia said. “Everyone said thanks for hosting, they had a good time, the usual.”

Raihan nodded and heaved out a melancholy sigh as he looked at the garbage strewn over his apartment.

“We’ll get it tomorrow,” Nessa said as she followed his gaze. “You’ve had a pretty eventful night.”

Raihan chuckled and nodded, and pat Leon on the head again. He hummed. Sonia squirmed out from under him, laid his head on the counter, then brushed her shirt off with a grimace.

“I was just telling Nessa about some research I’ve been doing,” Sonia said. “Want some wine and we can talk about it on the couch? My back hurts from holding him up.”

Raihan and Nessa both nodded, filled their glasses, and headed over to the couch. The two of them snuggled on the couch together, and Raihan leaned back in his armchair. After talking for a while, they were both pausing longer and longer between their sentences, so Raihan took the initiative of taking their wine glasses (partly because he didn’t want more stains on his couch), furling a blanket over them, and patting them both on the head.

“Goodnight, you two,” he said affectionately. They both hummed a response.

Alright, one left, and he was still sitting with his face on the cold counter. That… did not look very comfortable. Raihan’s own neck had a crick in it just looking at him. He stepped over quietly, and gently brushed his bangs off his face. Leon snorted and his eyes fluttered open. He was even cute when he was drooling on his counter.

“Rai?” he mumbled.

“Hi Leon,” Raihan chuckled quietly. “How’re you feeling?

“Like rubbish,” he groaned as he sat straight and rubbed his eyes.

Poor guy.

“I figured. Want to sleep someplace a little more comfortable?”

Leon nodded, stood, though he slumped into Raihan’s arms pretty quickly. He let him stay there for a second.

“Rai?” he mumbled into his sweater.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry I’m drunk.”

“You finally admit it,” Raihan chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, okay? We all get drunk here and there, and the Champion of Galar is no exception. I’m not mad at you, and neither is anyone else.”

Leon nodded, weakly wrapped his arms around him, and nuzzled his face into his chest.

“Where are Sonia and Nessa?” he mumbled.

“They’re sleeping on the couch.”

Leon let out a defiant whine.

“I always sleep on the couch,”

“You can sleep in my bed.”

Leon’s head whipped up, and there was that stupid smile again.

“With you?” he asked.

The second to last thing Raihan wanted to do was to squash that hope in his eyes, though the actual last thing he wanted to do was to be tempted again by the super drunk and needy Champion of Galar.

“I…” Raihan started as he cleared his throat. “…don’t think that’d be a good idea. I’ll probably sleep on the floor out here.”

The hope faded, and his lower lip stuck out. Geez, Leon, cut it out. Raihan turned and started guiding Leon to his room again, and Leon quickly laced their fingers together. A perfect fit, really, but Raihan couldn’t really think about that right then.

“Can you sleep with me?” Leon asked.

That was another question he had been waiting years to hear. But, this time it was… quiet? Gentle? It wasn’t laced with desire, but more so laced with affection. Raihan bit back a groan.

“If I promise I won’t kiss you?” Leon pressed as he stared up at him. “And I’ll keep you warm, you’ll be really cold if you’re on the floor.”

How could he say no to those big, sparkly eyes? Yeesh, Raihan really was pitiful…

“I know you like being close to me,” Leon said as he held Raihan’s hands against his chest again. “And I like being close to you.”

“You’re so godamn cute,” Raihan said as he breathed out a sigh. “Fine, but just because you’d probably crawl out and lay with me anyway.”

Again, that stupid smile made an appearance, Raihan’s heart kicked, and he kicked himself for being such a pushover. He could say no when Leon was grinding on him, but for some reason he couldn’t say no to the possibility of snuggling next to that sleepy smile.

Leon followed, crawled under the covers, and held his arms out. Raihan breathed out a laugh. After changing, brushing his teeth, and prepping for sleep, he stepped back to see that Leon’s arms were still held out.

Was he… sleeping like that?

Leon lifted his head and smiled at him, and Raihan sighed. Dork.

Raihan slid in next to him, and it hardly took a second before Leon hooked his leg around Raihan’s, curled his arm around his waist, and snuggled his head into the crook of his neck. Leon exhaled deeply, and made his nerves tingle.

“Rai?” Leon asked through a yawn.

“Yeah?”

He nestled closer, curled around him a little tighter, and breathed out a sigh.

“I’m in love with you,” Leon whispered with a sleepy smile.

Ah.

What?

Raihan’s mind was buffering again, but Leon was already snoring.

He was… he was just… drunk.

That was it.

He didn’t mean it like that.

Even through that rationale, through that logic, it seemed wrong to say it aloud, like he would be speaking a lie. They say drunk people were the most honest, and Leon didn’t lie often anyway.

Raihan let that little bit of light, that little bit of fuzz, wrap around him again, just as Leon did when the fog of sleep drifted over them.


	3. Toast

**LEON’S POV**

Leon woke to the sun glinting through the curtains, a glass of water on the nightstand, and the smell of bacon wafting through the air.

It kind of made him want to throw up. So, he stumbled to the bathroom, and did just that. He felt better, though. He figured Raihan wouldn’t mind if he borrowed his shower, though it was less of a shower and more of standing with his head against the wall as the hot water spluttered over him. After a few minutes of that and giving up on shampooing (since he couldn’t decipher what the hell each bottle was that Raihan had. Where was the 2-in-1 shampditioner?), he stepped back out, dried off, and pulled on his shorts again. Where were his clothes? These pants weren’t even his, and Leon was pretty sure he came to the party with a shirt. That didn’t really matter, as he was more focused on pushing down his nausea as he flopped back onto the bed with another groan. After dozing in and out for a few minutes, his eyes fluttered open when he heard the soft brush of footsteps.

“You up?”

He grunted an acknowledgement, and Raihan chuckled. He preferred that sound over the birds chirping out the open window.

“Welcome to your first hangover.”

Leon grunted again. His face was buried in the pillow, and again the soft sound of carpeted footsteps brushed through the air. There was a light clink on the nightstand, and a gentle creak of the mattress as Raihan sat beside him. Leon let out another grunt when Raihan pulled his wet hair to the side and rubbed his back.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked, though his question was more tender than his previous tease.

“Like I ate a Grimer.”

“Gross.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got some toast here for you. It’s pretty flavorless, but it’ll help your stomach. Take some of this medicine, too, and I’ve got a bigger breakfast if you’re up for it.”

“Thanks Rai.”

Leon drifted in and out of sleep as Raihan lightly trailed his hand over his shoulders and down his back a few more times. He breathed out a soft sigh at the touch, nestled more comfortably against the pillow, and hummed again when Raihan gave his shoulder a final squeeze. The mattress creaked again, and Raihan stepped out of the room.

He was getting a little chilly without the warmth of Raihan’s body beside him, and the blankets didn’t seem as comfortable now either, so Leon heaved out a sigh, rolled off the mattress, forced down the toast, took the medicine, then rose from the floor with the help of the bed.

The soft sound of carpet wasn’t as melodic as Raihan’s light steps as Leon dragged his feet out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He lazily glanced around to see the place picked up, save a few blankets strewn over the couch. There was his tight shirt neatly folded over the chair. He didn’t really want to be suffocated by it, so Leon pretended he didn’t see it.

“Where is everyone?” Leon asked as he slumped into the barstool. Raihan set another glass of water in front of him, along with more toast.

“Most everyone left last night, then Sonia and Ness left a bit ago when you were sleeping.”

Leon gave a hum of acknowledgement.

“You want some tea? Gordie brought some over this morning as an apology,” Raihan said, and Leon groaned. “Right, sore subject, no tea then.”

A stretch of silence filled the apartment, save the sizzling bacon and the faucet when Raihan filled Leon’s glass again.

“Sorry I didn’t help you pick up,” Leon said after a while. “Looks like you all got it when I was sleeping.”

“You did, actually,” Raihan said with a chuckle. The sound knocked around his head, and Leon furrowed his brow.

“I did?” he repeated. Raihan nodded.

“Well, you tried to help at least. You kept dropping everything but got mad when Sonia and Nessa helped,” Raihan said. “Said it was something that just you and I got to do together, said it was what you looked forward to every year.”

The light of the kitchen lamps were a little bright so it was hard to be sure, but it seemed Raihan’s face and explanation was embellished with something warm. Something within Leon wanted to call it affection.

“Oh,” Leon said quietly. “I don’t remember doing that.”

He didn’t remember saying that either. That wasn’t something he ever planned on articulating out loud, since he never really articulated it for himself in his head.

Raihan nodded, and another stretch of silence filled the room, save the morning birds out the window and the soft sounds of Raihan pouring coffee for him, and tea for himself. He cleared his throat, and although the sound was sharper, Leon wondered how he made it harmonize so well.

“Do you…” Raihan started. “Remember anything from last night…?”

Leon rubbed over his face, squeezed his eyes closed, and deliberately tried to remember literally anything. The last thing he could think of was Sonia calling him a Yamper, but everything after that was a nondescript snapshot. He shook his head.

“Not really. I remember Gordie giving me those rubbish not-tea iced teas and everything else is blurry.”

Raihan nodded.

“Why?” Leon asked.

“Um… no reason. Just curious.”

A thought pricked. A brief memory. Something warm, something full, between his teeth. His lips burning with necessity. A sound, a moan, that ignited that inexplicable fire. Icy blue eyes staring up at him, glinting in the dark.

Another thought pricked. Another sound, a breathless ‘ _L-Leon,’_ a twang of uncontrollable craving deep within him.

His stomach sank, his heart stopped, and Leon couldn’t swallow past the knot in his throat.

That couldn’t… they couldn’t…

Did they…?

“Rai…?”

Raihan hesitantly turned.

“Did we…?” Leon asked quietly.

“We just kissed.”

His eyes widened.

Kissed?

He kissed Raihan?

Like, on the mouth?

With his mouth?

And he didn’t even remember it?

He was just going to ask if they had a spicy chicken wing eating contest but this was much more perilous.

Raihan scratched behind his neck.

“You, uh, came onto me pretty heavy. I tried to get you to stop, but you were kinda relentless.”

“Oh man, sorry Rai,” Leon grumbled as he rubbed over his face again. “I didn’t even know. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No big, not the first time I was kissed by a drunk person at a party,” Raihan said with a shrug. “I was more worried for you, I didn’t want you to do anything that you’d regret.”

Silence filled the room again. Leon was not well-versed in things like this, but he didn’t want to risk his greatest friendship over something he did when he was drunk… He would make sure to annihilate Gordie a bit extra next time they battled.

“I regret making you feel weird,” Leon mumbled. “I, uh, sorry for coming onto you like that.”

“Don’t be.”

It was Leon’s turn to pause.

“What?”

“You don’t need to be sorry. I don’t feel weird, unless you feel weird,” Raihan mumbled. “I just didn’t want to kiss you drunk.”

Leon nodded, though his brow furrowed. Why did he tack that word onto the end of his sentence? If this were a Pokémon battle, he’d probably have everything figured out. This was, unfortunately, not a Pokémon battle, but instead a vulnerable conversation in the kitchen of a warm and cozy apartment.

Another thought pricked.

Something warm again, but it was in his in his chest, in his stomach, as he listened to a voice rumbling against him. Then, Leon remembered his simple revelation.

Another hazy memory affirmed it. Raihan whispering so sweetly to him in the middle of the night when he thought he was asleep. A quiet ‘I love you,’ and a gentle kiss to his temple.

Ah, that’s right, that’s what it was.

He was in love with Raihan.

Leon smiled at the thought, and smiled wider when he watched Raihan flip the bacon. Yep, he was definitely in love. He had never been in love before, but he had seen people in love. He was pretty sure there were some things that in-love people did, and he was anxious to try one of those things.

Leon cautiously bit his lip, as if to subdue the precariousness of his next question.

“…Would you want to kiss me… not drunk?”

Raihan had taken Leon’s glass to refill it, though the water was spilling over the edge and over his fingers.

“That’s a dangerous question to ask me, Leon,” Raihan sighed eventually as he shook off the droplets. Leon watched his fingers as Raihan dried them one at a time. “Especially when you’re still half naked and wearing my clothes after you slept in my bed and were all affectionate.”

Leon nodded and fiddled with his thumbs on the counter. He was the Champion of Galar, it wasn’t like he was going to give up so easily. Perhaps he needed a different tactic to feel those lips against his. The soft sound of Raihan’s cooking filled the room again, as did the melody of Pidoves chirping outside the open window.

“I do remember one thing,” Leon said quietly.

Raihan turned back. Now or never.

“I finally realized I’m in love with you.”

The blue glinted when Raihan’s eyes widened.

“You… you meant that?” he breathed.

Leon nodded, then bashfully scratched the back of his neck.

“I’ve uh,” he started. “I’ve finally put it into words in my head, but I think I’ve been in love with you for a while.”

And then, Leon’s heart stopped, because Raihan’s confused countenance melted into the warmest smile Leon had ever seen.

“Really?” he whispered.

Leon nodded again.

“Yeah,” Leon said as a smile broke over his face. “I’m in love with you, Rai.”

Apparently Raihan didn’t want to bother with the long walk around, so he vaulted himself over the counter and nearly toppled them both to the ground.

“I’m in love with you too!” Raihan said. His words were muffled by Leon’s hair. “Arceus I’ve wanted to tell you for years too, I love you too Leon,”

“Can you be my boyfriend then?” Leon asked suddenly. “Or wait, should we go on a date? I’m, uh, I’ve actually never done this before.”

Although Leon would normally be embarrassed by his lack of experience in romance, that smile made up for it. It dropped, though, and Raihan furrowed his brow.

“Are you _still_ drunk?”

“No!” Leon huffed. “I mean it! I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

“No I knew that,” Raihan said with a laugh, and the sound was like bells in his head. “Yeah, let’s go on a date first. At least one, then we’ll see if we want to make it official.”

Leon’s smiled hadn’t dropped, though his mouth was a little dry with Raihan standing so close.

“Brilliant,” Leon said. “That sounds good.”

Another stretch of silence filled the room, though this one was rather giddy. The Pidove’s song seemed to be a little sweeter, too. Raihan’s smile was still shining on his face as he set out plates and silverware, and Leon rested his head on his fist and wasn’t very discreet in staring. Yep, he was definitely in love. Felt nice to get that figured out.

“So, also,” Leon started carefully. “You never technically answered my question,”

Raihan raised an eyebrow.

“What question?”

“You know,” Leon mumbled as the heat rose to his cheeks. “About, uh, kissing me not drunk. So can I kiss you not drunk?”

That soft smile turned into a cheeky smirk, and Leon’s heart kicked.

“Oh, you’re asking for permission now?” Raihan hummed. “You were awfully confident in taking what you wanted last night.”

“Well that was different, I mean,” Leon stuttered as Raihan stepped back over to him. “Liquid courage, you know what they say…”

“And now you’re so shy,” he teased. Leon’s breath caught when Raihan pressed closer into his space. “Have you ever kissed anyone sober, Leon?”

“I-I, uh,” Leon stuttered as his eyes flicked from those icy-blue eyes to those full lips. “I… haven’t had the time, or, or, uh, th-thought about it much.”

He had though. He had thought about it much.

“I can tell.”

That smirk made his insides squirm, and so did that low, gravelly rumble of Raihan’s voice.

“You were a little sloppy last night,” Raihan purred as he leaned closer. “A little inexperienced, hm?”

The heat was flaring in his cheeks as Raihan raised an eyebrow. He set his arms on either side of Leon’s shoulders and pressed closer, the cold island counter was against Leon’s back, and a light shiver ran down his spine when Raihan chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I think it’s cute,” Raihan whispered. The word curled around him in the same way that Raihan’s fingers curled into his hair. “I’d be happy to teach you,”

“Okay, yeah, that sounds good,” Leon breathed. His eyelids were fluttering closed despite himself, and Raihan chuckled again.

“Close your eyes.”

He did.

Leon was pausing, waiting, holding his breath. Raihan gently cupped his face, their lips grazed for a moment, that moment felt like an eternity, and finally Raihan kissed him lightly, then leaned back. It was a simple kiss, something small, and yet it took Leon a few seconds before he could open his eyes.

“Well?” Raihan asked quietly.

“You taste like tea.”

“What?! Well _you_ taste like toast!” Raihan retorted. When he turned, Leon held onto his arm, pulled him back, and kissed him again.

“Tastes better this way,” Leon whispered.

“Agreed,” Raihan said with a small laugh.

Leon quickly decided that his favorite feeling was that smile against his lips, and he would like to feel that again. He leaned again, and Raihan quickly covered the rest of the distance.

“You like the taste of toast, huh?” Leon joked as Raihan gave him another peck. “You’re lucky you get to taste it this way. I’m sure plenty of people wonder what my lips taste like.”

He expected Raihan to roll his eyes, say something clever, then step back around the counter and flip the bacon. Leon’s heart kicked, however, when those icy blue eyes bore into him again. They seemed a little dark now, a little deep, and definitely hungry.

“Oh?”

Oh.

Just that little sound, that little word that was hardly a word, made Leon’s insides squirm again. Oh dear. What was he getting himself into.

“You think you can be so smug?” Raihan whispered. His voice rumbled throughout Leon’s entire body. He pressed into Leon’s space again as he set his elbows on either side of him. “After how challenging you made things for me last night?”

He could barely look at the intensity in Raihan’s eyes. Leon opened his mouth to question what that meant, but was answered pretty quickly when Raihan leaned in again and kissed him hard.

Leon’s eyes fluttered closed again as Raihan pressed closer. He parted his lips, kissed him deeper, and drew a moan from Leon’s throat. He didn’t have time to be embarrassed, as Raihan leaned closer and did it again.

“You made it so hard,” Raihan muttered against his lips. “Shirtless and pantless and needy in my bed, god Leon,”

He kissed him desperately, and Leon’s hands trembled as he gripped at the counter behind him. He gasped when Raihan bit his lip, and tried to hold back another moan as Raihan’s lips trailed to his cheek, his jaw, down his neck.

“Begging me and shit,” Raihan growled into his skin. “Flexing for me like that, grinding on me,”

It was like every nerve on his body was on fire as Raihan pushed his hips against him, and his temperature was flaring when Raihan’s fingers trailed up his stomach, up his chest, then over his shoulders again.

“Telling me you’d do whatever I said, then wanting to _snuggle_ , and you didn’t even know what you were doing the entire time.”

After another hard kiss, Raihan readjusted himself on his lap, and the motion of his hips and the unexpected pressure made Leon gasp again. Raihan quickly broke off.

“Oh shit, sorry,” Raihan said as he leaned back. “I forgot this was like, your first kiss.”

Leon cleared his throat and nodded lightly.

“Yeah,” he said breathlessly.

“Look at you,” Raihan said as a soft smile replaced the hunger on his face. “All overwhelmed. You’re so cute.”

Was his face on fire? It kind of felt like he was on fire, especially when Raihan bit his lip. Those hooded eyes were still boring into him. Where was he? What was going on? That didn’t really matter, in all honesty, but he didn’t want it to stop.

“Your bacon is burning,” Raihan said as he glanced away.

He motioned to slide of Leon’s lap, only for Leon to curl his arms around his waist again. He liked this.

“I, uh, I like it crispy,” Leon said.

Raihan bit his lip again, and again Leon’s heart pounded. Leon leaned up, carefully snaked his hand behind Raihan’s neck, and pulled him in for another kiss.

And another.

And another.

And another.

**RAIHAN’S POV**

Raihan wouldn’t mind if every year were like this.

They only broke apart when his stove burst into flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and thanks for all your kudos, subscribes, & comments! They all mean the world to me! What was your favorite part, your favorite POV? Let me know if you’d like, I’d love to hear any thoughts, questions, critiques, flying accusations etc so I can improve my writing! Thanks! – missusk


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